P333: The Adventure
by parody 'r' us
Summary: An alternate universe where the Minato is a girl. The female MC is her step-sister. Minato's power with the Wild Card has turned into something similar to that of the Servant system from 'Fate/Stay Night'. Expect lot'sa Crossovers. Also, Minato is hated by most of the school. Placed under the 'Persona' Series for simplicity sake. On hiatus for a few weeks.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona series in anyway. Nor do own anything that appears in this story.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Tatsumi Port Island, a man-made island created by a company known as the 'Kirijo Group'. It was a lively city and the people were always busy. But, when the clock struck midnight, it signaled the end of March of 1999… And also the end of the peaceful lives for the residents of Tatsumi Port Island.

A great explosion occurred in the centre of the Island. No one knew how it happened; no one knew why it happened. In fact, no one cared what happened. All they knew was a massive explosion occurred, and all they cared about was who caused it, even if the culprit turned out to be a fake.

A short while after the explosion, at Iwatodai suspension bridge, a major accident had occurred. Cars were either toppled or crushed, and the number of casualties was high.

Two great accidents. Two reasons for them to happen. One result:

In ten years, a single life, precious to all… will perish.

* * *

Hello, Parody here, to talk about P333. The reason I called it that is because this fic is on the 3rd persona game, said game came out 3 times and this fic will have three installments. (Assuming I'll get off my lazy ass to write them…) There are also various other things in this fic that will fit the '3' rule. Try to find them all. Oh, and please R&R. Because this is just the prologue, it's very short. So enjoy the Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 1: New Transfer Students

Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series in any way. If I did, I would be rich.

* * *

**Chapter 1: New Transfer Students**

* * *

_**April 6**__**th**__** 2009, Ikebukuro Train Station**_

A single girl was waiting outside the station, her auburn hair tied in a high ponytail with a set of silver barrettes clipped to a side of her hair forming the Roman numeral XXII. She was sitting on a luggage bag, fiddling with her phone, with a few other bags lying next to hers.

"She sure is late…" mumbled the girl to herself. It seemed that she had been waiting for quite a while.

A cold feeling touched the girl's cheek, causing her to gasp from the sudden coldness. A can of soda appeared in front of her when she looked at the direction the cold feeling came from. The auburn haired girl looked at the owner of the drink.

It was a beautiful girl with long blue hair, her fringe covering her right eye. Though, beautiful would be an understatement. Her appearance seemed too perfect. Her skin looked flawless and her hair had a beautiful shine. Her body frame made her look fragile like glass, yet somehow she also looked as strong as a mountain.

An anomaly. That is one way to describe her. One could call her a doll, and it would be considered the right answer.

* * *

Abnormal beauty.

* * *

"You're late," complained the auburn haired girl.

The blue haired girl sighed, "I'm not late. You've got the location wrong."

The girl pointed at a sign. It said '_East Exit_'. "We're supposed to meet at the west exit."

The auburn haired girl looked through her phone and made a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Onee-Chan, I read it wrong. Ha…Ha…"

The blue haired girl patted her sister on the head. "Never mind. Everyone makes mistakes. Just learn from them and move on. Okay?"

The auburn haired girl smiled. It seemed that she had taken her sister's words to heart.

"Now, let's go. The train ride to Iwatodai is supposed to be very long," said the bluenette as she grabbed one of the bags.

* * *

Peaceful fate ends; Joy never found

* * *

_**Same day, Somewhere in Iwatodai**_

"I can do this"

A girl is sitting alone in a room. Pointing a gun to her forehead.

Her breath was heavy, she was sweating all over and her body was trembling.

"If I just pull the trigger…"

Nervousness can be heard from her tone. Fortunately for the girl, she was alone.

The girl kept the gun pointing to her forehead as she breathed heavily.

"I can do this… I can do this…" The girl continued to mumble these words as if they were sacred teachings.

However, despite her constant mumblings, she tossed the gun aside.

"I can't… I… can't do it…"

* * *

Suicide; A tragic fate…

* * *

_**Nighttime, Iwatodai Station**_

The sisters were standing in front of the station. They were quite exhausted thanks to the long train ride.

"Onee-chan, that ride took too long. I'm about to collapse…" Complained the sister with the auburn hair.

"Bear with it… We still need to get to the dorms," replied the sister with blue hair.

Taking out a map, the bluenette searched for the dormitory that would be housing the sisters.

Pointing in one direction, the girls walked to where their dormitory may have been.

However, as soon as the clock struck midnight, their surroundings began to change.

All the street lights had stopped, leaving the moon as the only light source.

The moon looked much larger than usual and with its lighting; the world was covered with a sickening green hue; puddles of water left by the rain turned into blood.

But the biggest, most noticeable change of all was that the once busy street of Iwatodai was filled with coffins. This, combined with the lighting, made the atmosphere extremely uncomfortable and suffocating.

"Onee-chan… wh-what is this…?" asked a panicked auburn haired girl.

The bluenette kept quiet. It seemed that she too was shocked by the sudden change but was trying to keep her calm.

"Let's just head to the dorm," said the bluenette in a calm tone, so as not to frighten her sister.

Nodding to her sister's suggestion, the girls picked up their bags and hurried to the dorm of Iwatodai.

* * *

Sudden change; No change

* * *

_**Same night (?), Iwatodai Dorm**_

When the sisters arrived at the dorm, they hurried inside, not wanting to continue feeling the uncomfortable and suffocating atmosphere.

Silence. That was all there was in the dorm. No one came to greet them.

Or at least, not immediately.

"_Hello."_

The voice that said it came from a young boy at the counter. He had short black hair, a beauty mark right under his left eye. He was also wearing an outfit similar to that of prisoner uniforms from those old movies.

"_You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you,"_ The boy said, smiling.

"Sorry," apologized the Blunette sister.

The boy chuckled.

"_It's fine. But, if you wish to proceed, you'll need to sign this contract."_

A contract was brought out by the young boy.

"_Don't worry. It's nothing serious. It just states that you'll accept responsibility for all your actions."_

The blunette stepped forward and read the contract.

- Hmm, he's right. But what a weird contract.

'I,_[Blank]_, accept this fate, of my own free will.'

- Fate? I wonder what it means. But I feel that I must sign this… Why…

While her thoughts were filled with nothing but questions, the bluenette signed the contract without a second thought.

'I, Arisato Minato, accept this fate, of my own free will.'

The boy picked up the contract and reviewed it.

"_Good."_

The boy closed the folder that held the contract and, with a flick of his wrist, the folder mysteriously disappeared.

"_No one can escape time; it delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes. Well then… until next we meet. Hm hm hm."_

And with a step into the darkness, the young boy vanished.

* * *

A tragic end begins

* * *

"Onee-chan? What are you doing?" asked Minato's sister.

Minato was surprised. She was concentrating on the contract and the young boy so hard, that she forgot about her sister.

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking how strange that contract was."

"Contract? What contract?" asked Minato's sister.

"The one that boy had earlier."

The auburn haired sister's face paled a little and asked:

"Um… what boy? You were muttering to yourself for the past few minutes."

- She didn't see the boy? That's strange. I wonder why sh-

"Who's there?!"

Thanks to the constant silence the dorm was in, the sudden shout caused the sisters to jump.

When the two girls looked at the direction the voice came from, they saw another girl. She had short, light-brown hair and was wearing a pink sweater jacket. On her left sleeve, there was a red armband.

The brunette had a very surprised look on her face. As if she expected people to not be around. Though, considering the time, it's not really surprising.

"What… How are you two still…?"

She moved her right hand to grab something at her hip. Due to the lighting, the sisters could not properly tell what that something was. But they could guess from the shape that it was a pouch of some sort.

Tension filled the air.

Suddenly, another voice shouted:

"Wait, Takeba!"

As soon as the voice said those words, the room lit up. The once oppressive atmosphere was gone and a more comfortable feeling entered the room.

The owner of the voice revealed to be young woman. Her hair was long and dark red. Wearing a white blouse, her left sleeve had a red armband that was similar to what the girl in the pink sweater jacket was wearing. Said armband said 'SEES'.

Speaking of the girl in pink, it seemed that what the girl had wasn't a pouch but a gun holster. Gun included.

Awkwardness filled the air.

"I didn't think that the two of you would arrive so late," said the red head.

"I'm Kirijo Mitsuru. One of the students who live in this dorm."

"…Who are they?" asked the girl in pink.

"They are transfer students. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to another room in a different dorm."

"Is it all right for them to be here?" the girl in pink asked.

"I guess we'll see."

The red head faced the sisters and introduced everyone:

"Arisato Minato and Gekkou Runako, correct? This is Takeba Yukari. She'll be a junior this spring, just like the two of you."

"Hey…" said the girl in pink meekly.

"Nice to meet you," replied Minato.

"Uh… Yeah… Nice to meet you two."

A polite response. However, rather than letting sleeping dogs lie; Minato's sister had to ask a very awkward question:

"Why do you have a gun?"

A simple question. Yet somehow very complex. The sheer awkwardness of the question stumbled Yukari.

"Huh? Um, well… It's sort of like a hobby…. Well, not a hobby, but…"

"You know how it is these days…" Interjected Mitsuru.

"It's for self defense. It's not a real gun, of course."

Runako was not satisfied with the answer, but let it go, as her sister was giving her a look to stop.

"In any case, it's getting late, so you two should get some rest. Unfortunately, due to a mix up, we were unable to prepare rooms for the two of you."

Slightly confused as to what she meant, Runako asked:

"What do you mean?"

"Due to her name, we thought Arisato was a boy. Thus, we actually prepared her a room on the second floor, which was reserved for males."

With a sigh, Minato tiredly answered:

"I see… Well, it's fine."

Mitsuru was surprised by how nonchalant Minato was about it.

- Hmm, she must be really tired.

"Well, if you're fine with it… We'll make the proper arrangements in due time. Please be patient. Now then, your rooms are at the end of the hall. Your things should already be there."

"Oh… I'll show you the way. Follow me," said Yukari.

* * *

The night runs long.

* * *

And so ends Chapter 1. Yes, Minato is a girl here. Yes, they're step-siblings. Yes, I'll be using some Japanese terminology here.

Please remember to R&R.


	3. Chapter 2: Persona Awakening

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Persona series. Nor do I own any character that will be making cameos in this story. Unless, I created them myself. Then I do own them.

Warning: Minato gains some Mary Sue traits here. Mary Sue haters beware…

* * *

**Chapter 2: Persona Awakening**

* * *

_**April 7**__**th**__**, Gekkoukan High School**_

Gekkoukan High School, a prestigious school built by the Kirijo group. It was built near the centre of Tatsumi Port Island and was big enough to cover near the end of the island.

A famous school. One would think that enrolling in such a place would be very difficult.

It's not.

"I'm Gekkou Runako! Please to meet you!"

"Arisato Minato. A pleasure to meet you all."

The sisters introduced themselves to their new classmates.

"These two are step-siblings that moved here due to certain circumstances," said the class' homeroom teacher, Toriumi Isako, "Make sure you treat them well."

The class was in an uproar.

"Woah, check out the blue girl. She's sexy man."

"Okay, that has to be one dead gorgeous woman."

"She's gorgeous alright. When a woman says another woman is gorgeous, you know it's true."

"Dude, her voice… Talk about a cool beauty."

"I… don't get it…."

"Forget That! What about her clothes? It screams 'delinquent', but when you look at her, it just screams 'Sexy'.

Everyone in class was complimenting Minato.

Indeed, her beauty was out of this world. And her uniform just adds to her appeal.

In contrast with her sister, who was wearing the standard uniform, Minato's had some changes.

Instead of the school's standard issued skirt, she was wearing a mini-skirt that shows off her beautiful legs; a simple white long sleeved blouse with the top two buttons unbuttoned, leaving her neck completely exposed; she is also wearing a neck strap MP3 and clip-on earphones; Her blazer belonged to a uniform for boys.

It was quite a bold outfit and would normally get a student in trouble.

* * *

Trouble stirs; Never relenting

* * *

_**Earlier that day, Gekkoukan High School**_

The sisters were brought to school by Yukari, due to them being new and not knowing the way to school.

"Well, this is it. We're here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. I hope you like it," said Yukari as they entered the school, "You two are okay from here right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is to the left, any questions?"

"Which class are you in Yukari-Chan?" asked Runako.

"Me? I dunno… I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet.

"Is that so? Well, I hope we're in the same class."

Yukari gave Runako a smile:

"Yeah, me too. What about you Arisato-san?"

"Nothing… Have a good day…" said Minato in a tired voice.

"Okay then. Hey… about last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay? See ya later."

When Yukari left, Runako looked around her:

"Wow, this is a really big school… I hope everyone's nice."

Minato patted her sister on the head and gave a reassuring smile:

"You'll be fine. Just don't act too impulsive like usual and you won't have to worry. Now, let's go"

As Minato headed to the faculty office, Runako mumbled:

"That's not what I meant…"

When the sisters arrived at the faculty office, a woman came up to them.

"Are you two the new students?" asked the woman, "Arisato Minato…. And Gekkou Runako, correct?"

When the sisters nodded in affirmation to her question, the woman took out two files from a table and started to flip through them.

"Wow, you two have lived in a lot of places. Oh, you're step-sisters. Let's see, what else… In 1999… that was what, ten years ago? Your parents-"

The woman was shocked; the file had said that the sisters' parents were killed in a car accident.

"I'm sorry; I didn't have time to read it beforehand."

"It's fine. We don't remember much about that time anyway. Right, Onee-Chan?" said Runako

Minato nodded and smiled at the teacher:

"Yes, so don't worry about it."

The smile Minato gave was so beautiful that it made the woman's heart skipped a beat.

"Umm, I'm Toriumi, I teach composition. Welcome to our school," said the woman, blushing.

"Oh, err… Arisato, your uniform, it's not abiding to the school's dress code."

Minato shrugged her shoulders and muttered:

"The school gave me a boy's uniform. It must be my name; I was given a room on the boy's floor at the dorm as well…"

"I see, in that case you're excused. We're actually pretty lax on the dress code, but there are limits. Try to get a proper uniform as soon as possible."

"Okay…"

"Now, have you two seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

* * *

Girls are introducing

* * *

_**Later that day, Gekkoukan High School**_

"Okay, that's enough chatting amongst yourselves," Said Toriumi, silencing the students.

The woman looked around the classroom, trying to find seats for the sisters.

"There is a seat available next to and behind Takeba. Gekkou; Arisato, you'll be seated there."

Minato walked to the seat behind Yukari, while Runako headed to the one next to Yukari.

"Looks like my hoping worked," said Runako to Yukari, smiling, "I hope we'll get along through the year."

"Likewise," replied Yukari and then turned to Minato, "I hope we'll get along."

"Right… I hope we will…" said Minato in a sad tone.

* * *

A dark truth; Hidden in their hearts

* * *

_**After School, Gekkoukan High School**_

Because it was just the first day of school, class ended early that day.

"The people here sure is nice, right Onee-Chan?" asked Runako to her sister.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be a good year," replied Minato, smiling.

As they chatted, a voice came from behind Minato:

"S'up, dudes? How's it goin'?"

Looking behind her, Minato saw a boy wearing a cap and sporting a goatee.

"Who are you?" asked Runako

"Me? I'm Iori Junpei. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here around three years ago. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid… So I thought I checked up on you, make sure you weren't freaking out on your first day."

After Junpei introduced himself, Runako began to giggle:

"Yeah, thanks. I'm Gekkou Runako. Oh, but you knew that already. Nice to meet ya, Junpei."

"Arisato Minato… Pleasure to meet you…"

"Cool… Still two beauties transferring on the same day! What are the odds?" said Junpei enthusiastically, "So, you're step-sisters? Man, I wonder what it's like."

Just then, Yukari entered the classroom.

"At it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" asked Yukari with a sigh, "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly," said Junpei pretending to be hurt.

"If you say so. Anyway, some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?"

"Yup," said Runako, "I can't believe we're in the class… Maybe it's fate!"

"Mmm, no… I don't so."

"Shot in an instant!" cried Runako.

"Uhh, hello. Did you forget I'm in this class too? C'mon, lemme in on the fun!" said Junpei, feeling neglected, "By the way, did you guys know each other? I heard you three came to school together this morning. A group of cuties like you, walking side by side… The whole class was buzzing about it."

"Yeah, I heard," muttered Runako, "They were mostly talking about Onee-Chan though."

"No kiddin'," said Junpei, "I kept hearing 'Beauty' this, 'Beauty' that."

As he said that, Junpei turned his attention to Minato:

"Though, I'm not surprised. Those legs, that chest, that figure, that face and that long beautiful hair. It's like I'm looking at a goddess or something."

"Ugh, can you not talk like she's not here?" said Yukari, disgusted, "You're making her uncomfortable."

"I'm fine…" said Minato in a quiet voice.

"If you say so… Anyway, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff."

Yukari then casted Junpei a very angry look that made him very uncomfortable:

"DON'T try anything funny, you got that Junpei."

When Yukari left, Junpei made a huge sigh:

"What is she, your nanny or something…?

"Well, I have to admit that what you said had no tact," said Runako, "Not to mention it's rude to be talking about a girl's body. Right, Onee-Chan?"

"Well, just to clear something up, I didn't come over here to hit on you two or anything," said Junpei with defeat sounding in his voice, "If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it."

* * *

Hope rises; Despair imminent

* * *

_**Nighttime, Iwatodai Dorm**_

After walking around to get used to their new school and the city, the sisters went back to the dorm. Thanks to all the walking, the sisters went straight to their rooms.

As the sisters slept, a conversation was been held in the dormitory lounge.

A confident young man was talking to Mitsuru, who was reading a book.

"I'm heading out for a bit."

Mitsuru looked at the young man with a slightly puzzled look.

"Have you seen the newspapers lately?"

"Yes… People with no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of 'Apathy Syndrome'… I've seen it on the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but…"

"Yeah, right. It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time…"

"You have a one-track mind… Will you be okay on your own?"

The confident young man clenched his fists, his eyes full of determination:

"Don't worry; I'm just getting a little practice."

As the young man left, Mitsuru sighed; mumbling to herself with a worried look on her face:

"This isn't a game Akihiko…"

* * *

Determination; A broken heart

* * *

_**April 8**__**th**__**, Iwatodai Dorm**_

After an uneventful day at school, the sisters came back to the dorm early as they were told that someone wished to meet them. When they got back, they saw Yukari and a man in his mid-forties, sitting on the sofas in the lounge.

The man introduced himself as Ikutsuki Shuji, a Chief Director of Gekkoukan.

"I apologized for the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignments. Is there anything you two would like to ask?"

"There won't be another gender mix-up this time, right?" asked Minato, hoping that there will not be another mistake.

"Ah, yes… Sorry about that. We didn't check your files properly. It was our mistake. But be assured, you will be placed in a girls' dormitory."

"Right…"

"Is there anything else?"

This time, it was Runako who asked the question.

"Yeah, who else lives here? There's a boy's floor, so is there anyone living there?"

"Yes, Sanada Akihiko. He's a senior. As for whom else… There's Takeba, Kirijo and the two of you."

"I see. A senior huh… Oh, one more thing!"

"Yes?"

"The other night, we- OW!"

Before finishing her question, Runako had one of her legs pinched by Minato.

"The other night, we almost got lost getting to this dorm. I think you should give a detailed map the next time you assign rooms," said Minato, not wanting to reveal what happened that night.

"Hmm, yes… I supposed we should. I'll talk about it in the next board meeting. Any other questions?"

The sisters shook their heads, unable to think of anything else to ask.

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Ikutsuki got off his seat and headed for the stairs.

"The two of you must be tired from all the excitement. You should head to bed early. As they say 'The early bird catches the bookworm!"… Please forgive the bad pun."

Chuckling from his poor joke, Ikutsuki went climbed the stairs.

"Urgh… You'll get used to his lame jokes…" said Yukari with an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh come on, I think it's funny," said Runako.

"Uh huh," replied Yukari, not believing what Runako, "Well, I'm going back to my room. See ya."

As soon as Yukari left, Runako turned to face her sister:

"So, why did you pinch me? It hurt a lot…"

"I don't think it's a good idea to talk about what happened that night, considering what happened…"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… Let's just keep quiet about it for now."

"Okay."

After agreeing on what to do, the sisters headed back to their rooms to get some rest.

Later that night, Ikutsuki, Mitsuru and Yukari gathered in a room on the fourth floor. The room looked like a meeting room of sorts and had a security monitor at the side of the room. On the screen were two images. One was of Runako's room, with Runako sleeping on her bed. The other was pitched black.

The monitor also had a console, with various buttons and switches. It even has an emergency phone.

"How are they?" asked Mitsuru.

"Runako-Chan just went to sleep, but Arisato-San blocked the camera in her room," replied Yukari.

"She blocked the camera?" asked Mitsuru, surprised at such an act.

"Yeah, don't know how, but she noticed the camera the moment we turned it on."

"Hmm… They say that there are some people that are sensitive to being watch," said Ikutsuki, joining the conversation, "Considering how she looks, she might have developed a sixth sense to these sorts of things."

"I'm surprised that you'll say such things Chairman," said Mitsuru.

"Before being a Chair 'Man', I'm a 'Man'," said Ikutsuki, chuckling.

The two girls sighed at Ikutsuki's horrible pun.

"Still, I have to agree that she's beautiful," said Yukari, "Actually, she kinda looks like you Kirijo-Senpai."

"Me?"

"Yeah, her hairstyle looks a little like yours. Except with longer hair."

"Hmm, I see your point," said Ikutsuki, "Maybe you're sisters."

"Chairman!" yelled Mitsuru in embarrassment

"Ha ha, I'm just kidding."

Ikutsuki looked at his watch and then back to the screen:

"The Dark Hour is approaching."

The moment it struck 12 midnight, all the lights seemed to have stopped working. The only light source was from the moon, which seemed to have grown larger and emitting a sickly green light.

"Hmm… She's still sleeping," said Ikutsuki, looking at the monitor, "Normally, a person would've transmogrified into a coffin during the Dark Hour."

"Then, she must have the potential…" said Yukari.

"Well, as you can see, she's retained her human form," replied Ikutsuki in a calm tone, "She's asleep, but she's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. However, we can't conclude whether or not she has the potential. Although, she must… or they would've preyed on her by now."

"Scary…" muttered Yukari darkly.

Listening through the conversation, Mitsuru looked at the pitched black screen that was supposed to show Minato's room:

"The next question would be, 'Is Arisato also experiencing the Dark Hour'? If the camera is covered, we cannot confirm it."

"Yes," replied Ikutsuki, "But let us take it one step at a time. It's not good to rush. So for now, we'll monitor Gekkou-Kun for a few more days."

"Yes sir"

"I feel kinda bad…" said Yukari, "Spying on them like this…"

* * *

Darkness draws near

* * *

_**Unknown Time, Mysterious Blue Room**_

Minato found herself sitting on a chair in a strange room. She wasn't sure how she got here as she was sure that she was sleeping in her room. As she looked around, she noticed a hunching old man with a VERY long nose in a butler suit. He had bulging eyes and a creepy smile. Next to him was a beautiful young woman, wearing a blue elevator attendant uniform.

An odd combination, Minato thought.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room," spoke the old man, "My name is Igor; I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

He then introduced the young woman:

"This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you," said the woman called Elizabeth while doing a curtsy.

"This place exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter…" continued Igor, "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place…"

As soon as Igor said that, he waved his left hand over a table between him and Minato, causing a familiar folder to appear.

The folder magically opened itself, showing the contract Minato had signed when she arrived at the dorm.

After showing the contract, Igor spoke:

"Henceforth, you shall be welcomed to the Velvet room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return; that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

Tired, Minato could only nod, wanting to return back to sleep.

Igor waved his left hand over the table again, replacing the folder with a blue key.

"Hold on to this. 'Til we meet again…"

At Igor's last words, everything around Minato started to fade. The next thing she knew, she was awake in her room. Sunlight was pouring out of her window, signaling the start of a brand new day.

"What a weird dream…" said Minato as she got out of bed. But when she did, she noticed that she was grabbing something. She opened her hand and saw something that told her that what she saw was not a dream.

A blue key was in her hand.

* * *

Her darkness will never fade

* * *

_**April 9**__**th**__** (?) Dark Hour, Iwatodai Dorm**_

Ikutsuki, Mitsuru and Yukari gathered at the meeting once again. The security monitor showed the same image as last night, Runako sleeping in her room and a pitched black screen that was supposed to show Minato's room.

"How is she?" asked Ikutsuki.

"Same as last night," replied Mitsuru.

"Hmm… Very interesting… Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first…" said Ikutsuki in an excited voice, "Memory loss… disorientation… But, this subject is rather unique. She hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms."

"But… we're treating her like a guinea pig…" said Yukari in a guilty tone.

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members," assured Ikutsuki, "I heard she was your classmate… Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade? A female classmate, at that."

Despite what Ikutsuki said, Yukari was still feeling guilty.

"By the way," interrupted Mitsuru, "I noticed yesterday that you address the sisters differently."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," replied a surprised Yukari, "Runako-Chan asked me to call her that. She's a lot more sociable than Arisato-San. Those sisters are as different as night and day."

"An introvert and an extrovert… Ah, youth…" said Ikutsuki, sounding like an old man.

Suddenly, the phone on the console rang.

"Is that you, Akihiko?" asked Mitsuru when she picked up the phone.

"You're not gonna believe this..! This thing is huge!" yelled Akihiko, panting, "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk… It's chasing me… I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there."

"Wait… does that mean… he's bringing that thing here?!" asked a panicked Yukari.

"Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now, we'll prepare for battle!" ordered Mitsuru.

"…R-right…! Be careful!" said Ikutsuki, panicking.

One could tell that Akihiko had returned thanks to him slamming the door really hard, that one would think that the door would break.

The senior boy was covered in wounds with a few oddly shaped knives still impaled in them; his clothes were slightly torn and ragged.

"Akihiko!" shouted Mitsuru, examining his wounds.

"I'm alright…" said Akihiko reassuringly, "Get ready to be surprised… It'll be here any second."

"This is no time to be joking around!" scolded Mitsuru.

"Is it one of them?" asked Ikutsuki.

"Yeah, but not an ordinary one-" replied Akihiko.

He was cut short thanks to something slamming the door.

"Ahh… What the…!? You've got to be kidding me!" yelled Yukari in a panic.

"Chairman, please head to the command room!" ordered Mitsuru, "Takeba, go upstairs and wake those sisters up! Then escape out the back."

"But, what about you two?" asked Yukari.

"We'll stop it here. You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

"Like I have a choice!" shouted Akihiko, "What are you waiting for Takeba?! GO!"

* * *

The silent night takes hold

* * *

_**Dark Hour, Minato's Room**_

Due to all the noise, Minato couldn't sleep. The blue haired girl got off from her bed and headed for her door, trying to find out what was happening. But, before she could open it, there was a knock.

"Wake up!" shouted a muffled voice, "Sorry, I'm coming in!"

Behind the door revealed a distressed Yukari and a tired but worried Runako.

"I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here. NOW!" shouted Yukari.

Sensing something was wrong, the sisters followed Yukari.

"Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the backdoor!"

When the girls arrived at the rear entrance, Yukari started to relax a little.

"Alright, we should be safe now-" said Yukari until a beeping sound interrupted her.

Yukari had a transceiver in her ear, allowing her to contact the seniors.

"Takeba, do you read me?!" asked Mitsuru who was on the other side of the line.

"Yes, I hear you!" replied Yukari.

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

"What?!"

Suddenly, there was banging on the door, it seemed that the enemy was right behind it.

Surprised, Yukari grabbed the sisters' hands and ran up the stairs.

After climbing for a while, the girls arrived at the roof.

"Okay, we should be safe now…" said Yukari as she locked the door.

"Umm, I think we're more trapped than safe, Yukari-Chan…" said Runako, panting, "Because, if whatever it is we're running from managed to get up here, we're toast."

Realizing her mistake, Yukari immediately tried to unlock the door. However, before she could, a growling sound could be heard.

The sound came from the edge of the roof and was getting louder by the second. Very soon, a dark hand carrying a mask popped out from the edge.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" shouted Yukari, "It climbed up the wall?!"

The hand carrying the mask turned the mask side to side, making the mask looked like it was looking around. Then, the mask turned and faced the girls.

Minato stared at the mask, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

- I have a bad feeling about this…

The hand that was carrying the mask revealed its true form. Beneath the hand was not just an arm, but multiple arms, connected to each other like a hydra. Aside from the one carrying the mask, all the arms were knives.

"Wha… What the hell is that?!" asked a panicked Runako.

"Those monsters… We call them Shadows!" replied Yukari, "Oh… right, I have to fight… I can summon mine… No problem…"

Yukari pulled out the gun she was carrying and aimed it to her forehead.

"Wait! Takeba!" shouted Minato.

"Yukari-Chan!" yelped a surprised Runako.

The sisters tried to stop Yukari from pulling the trigger, but the monster attack her before she could.

The attack knocked Yukari off her feet and her gun slid by Runako's feet. She grabbed the gun and aimed it at the Shadow.

Meanwhile, at the meeting room, Ikutsuki, Mitsuru and Akihiko were looking for the three junior girls using the security console.

"There! On the roof!" shouted Akihiko.

"That gigantic Shadow… Just what is it we're dealing with?" asked Mitsuru to no one.

"Let's go Mitsuru!" said Akihiko hurriedly.

Ikutsuki, who was looking at the monitors intensely, asked them to wait. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

Back at the roof, Runako was trying to shoot at the Shadow, which was heading to her direction, but to no avail. The gun only had blanks thus, there was no way it could hurt anyone.

- This is useless as a weapon

As the Shadow drew closer, Runako's anxiety grew.

- It's gonna kill me…

Soon, the Shadow raised its knives and attack Runako. Runako closed her eyes, waiting for her death to come. The sound of knives stabbing into flesh could be heard.

But, Runako felt no pain. She could hear the sound of blood dripping, but it wasn't hers. She opened her eyes, but soon wished she didn't. What she saw was a horrible sight. One that would be etched into her mind forever. Her sister, Minato jumped into the Shadow's line of attack and took the blow that was meant for Runako.

"O-O-O-ONEE-CHAAAANNN!"

* * *

Death slowly approaches

* * *

Minato was still alive. Whether one could call it a miracle though, was up for debate. Her left arm had lost its functionality. Her legs were both stabbed and she was barely able to stand. Her face was bloodied due to barely avoiding getting her head cut off.

She was in a bad state.

"Runako…" muttered Minato, "Are you all right…?"

"I-I should be the one asking that, O-Onee-Chan," said Runako, holding back her tears.

"I'm fine… But, at this rate, we're going to die…"

With a sense of defeat, Runako dropped the gun was holding and fell to the ground.

"Why… Why… Why are all these things happening?" asked Runako, crying, "Everything was normal until today… Why?!"

Minato couldn't answer. She knew that whatever she says would not comfort Runako. All hope was lost as the Shadow was preparing for another attack.

"_Are you giving up?"_ asked a familiar voice.

Minato raised her head and saw a familiar boy in a prison uniform.

"What…?"

"_I'm asking if you're gonna give up?"_

"It's no longer about giving up. I'm too injured to fight and we have no weapons."

"_But you do have a weapon… Right by your feet."_

Minato looked down. The gun Yukari was carrying was lying right next to her.

"Runako… Pass me that gun…"

"Onee-Chan?"

"Just do it."

Sensing her urgency, Runako picked up the gun and handed it over to Minato.

Minato stared at the gun and then to the young boy.

The boy gave Minato a gun gesture and pointed to his head, smiling.

"_Can you do it? Do you have what it takes? If so… call her…"_

Minato slowly raised the gun and pointed it to her head.

"Per… so… na…"

Pulling the trigger, the sound of glass shattering could be head and mysterious figure appeared in front of her.

The figure was a young woman carrying a sword. She wore a rather revealing outfit that bared her midriff. A sleeveless top that tightens around her chest and a very short skirt. She was also wearing strange boots and gloves. She had beautiful but messy multicolored hair. She also had an ahoge.

"Thou art I… And I am thou…" said the woman, "From the sea of thy soul… I cometh. I am Maxwell, master of the elements…"

Suddenly, Minato's head started to hurt and Maxwell was enveloped in a black aura. As the pain grew larger, the aura thickens and soon covered the Persona's entire body. The black figure than transmogrified into another being. This time, it was man wielding a long sword. It wore a mask that looked slightly similar to what the Shadow was had. It was wearing a trench coat and surrounding it were black coffins.

The new Persona attacked the Shadow in a violent rage. Smashing and slashing. Simple, yet brutal moves. And in just a few seconds, all that was left of the Shadow was an arm, which the Persona picked and squashed it with its bare hands. Once the threat was gone, the Persona reverted back into Maxwell and then disappeared.

* * *

All fates are sealed; No turning back

* * *

After the ordeal, Minato fell on her back, exhausted.

"Onee-Chan!" cried Runako as she ran to her sister, "Onee-Chan, are you alright?"

"I'm fine… Just… Tired…"

"Onee-Chan… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Upon hearing her apologies, Minato used whatever strength she had left and raised her right arm to flick her sister's forehead.

"It's not… 'sorry'… It's 'thank you'… I'm your Onee-Chan… I should at least… do… this much…"

"…Mmph… Then… Thank you, Onee-Chan…"

Shortly after, Minato fainted due to blood loss. As soon as the dark hour ended, she was sent to the hospital.

* * *

Man this took forever to write. Over 4,500 words long. For me at least. In any case, the boring, hard part is over. Now is when the fun really begins.

Minato is such a Mary Sue here… Anyway, I know what you all are thinking… 'WHAT HAPPENED TO ORPHEUS?!' or 'IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?!' or 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!'

Let's answer them accordingly, shall we?

First, well, let's just say Orpheus doesn't fit this Minato's personality. For those of you who are confused; please remember what a Persona is supposed to be.

Originally, the Protagonists in Persona 3 don't have a fixed personality. The players are the ones who implement them. Thus, the whole 'Changing Personas at anytime' thing. But since Minato has a fixed personality here, she gets a special set of Personas.

Second, yes, it's THAT Maxwell. THE Maxwell from the 'Tales of' series. More specifically, the one from 'Tales of Xillia'. Also, even though I planned to do a mass crossover, I placed this under the 'Persona' section for simplicity sake.

Lastly, WHO KNOWS! You'll have to read on to find out.

Now, another thing that has changed is how Personas work. Though, this only affects Minato. They work like servants from the 'Fate' series. (Think I should just place this under Persona/Fate crossover?) Meaning they have special skills, weapons etc. However, this only applies to that special set of Personas I mentioned.

It sounds broken, but those Personas' skills and stats are fixed, so as to balance them out. They're only broken early on.

Finally, with each new Persona I introduce, they'll have a bio page. I'm making them because it seemed fun and they look cool.

So, ending off, I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Until next time.


	4. Bio: Maxwell

Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series, the 'Tales of' series, the Fate series, the Disgaea series or Touhou. I'm not THAT great of a person.

* * *

**Name: **Maxwell

**Master:** Arisato Minato

**Class: **Saber

**Arcana:** Fool

**True Name: **Milla Maxwell

**Sex:** Female

**Title:** Lord of Spirits

**Origin:** Tales of Xillia

* * *

_**Stats**__**:**_

**Strength:** _C+_

**Endurance: **_B_

**Agility: **_C+_

**Mana:** _EX_

**Luck:** _D_

**S. Card:** _B_

* * *

**Bio:**

A master of the elements from a world called Liese Maxia, she was tasked with the mission of protecting the world from people who wish to takes its energy for themselves. A naïve but determined woman; during her journey, she met a boy named Jude, who followed and taught her the ways of the world.

As they traveled, they fell in love each other and decided to live together once Milla has finished her mission.

It's unrelated, but her ahoge is actually regarded as a 'Charm Point'.

* * *

**Class Skill(s):**

Magic Resistance: _A_

_Cancels spells of A-Rank and below. In video game terms; only enemies at the level of bosses can do any sort of magical damage._

Riding: _C_

_Most vehicles can be handled with average skill._

* * *

**Evility:**

Lord of Elements: _A_

_Due to her control over the elements, most artes with elemental affinities cannot hurt her. The only exceptions to this rule are artes under the Light or Dark affinity, spells that are above A-Rank and when multiple artes from different affinities are attacking her at the same time. In addition, she can summon any elemental spirit except those under Light or Dark affinity to aid her in battle for a short period of time._

Determined Soul: _B_

_Her original rank in this skill was A, but after meeting with Jude, her desire to finish her mission at any cost was diminished; causing it to lower by one rank. This skill allows the user to continue whatever they are doing without giving into despair. At A-Rank, the user is willing to throw away everything to win. But since this skill has downgraded to a B-Rank, the user is only willing to throw away their lives without sacrificing anyone else._

Divinity: _A++_

_Because of her rule over the Elements, she is considered as a god. At this rank, any damage caused by artes under the Light and Almighty affinity is lowered to point that it's barely noticeable. In exchange, all artes under the Dark affinity do ten times the usual damage._

Magi: _-_

_A skill granted to Milla thanks to mastery over the Elements. This allows her to turn her elemental spells into elemental combat artes. It is a unique skill that only she could use._

Fast Learner: _B_

_This skill allows the user to become an expert at anything they want at a quicker pace. At this rank, the user can become an expert in anything in one month._

Old Wounds: _C+_

_A curse one obtains thanks to certain injuries sustained during one's previous life. One might suffer sudden pain in the injured area, causing a decrease in abilities. At this rank, the user's Strength and Agility will suffer by one rank._

* * *

**Spell Card:**

Supreme Elements: _-_

_An attack that symbolizes Milla Maxwell's mastery over the Elements. The attack uses the most common elements in the world: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth. Because the damage output depends on how much Mana Milla has in her reserves, it doesn't have a rank._

Healing Device: _C_

_A special device that helps Milla regain use of her legs. It is always active, because without it, she can't walk. This item grants a + modifier to Strength and Agility._

Homatou Doranduo: _C_

_A sword Milla gained when she defeated a monster called Doranduo. A powerful blade; it is said that it draws power from the blood of its enemies._

Homatou Doranduo (Awakened): _ A_

_A sword Milla gained when she defeated a monster called Doranduo. It awakened to its true power after Milla defeated a demon known as 'The Golden Swordsman'. In its awakened state, it grows more powerful with each enemy it slays._

_When this sword is drawn, all of Milla's parameters gain an increase of one rank but limits the use of 'Supreme Elements' for the rest of the day. In exchange, 'Supreme Elements' can be used once at maximum output, regardless of Milla's mana._

Charm Point: _D_

_Milla Maxwell's ahoge… WEAPONIZE. This attack allows her to charm any enemy below D-Rank but it'll damage enemies below E-Rank. However, the damage output is extremely low to the point where it's only useful for swatting flies. Rumor has it, that if you plucked off the ahoge, her personality would change…_

* * *

Man this was fun to make.

Looks broken, doesn't it? Well, this just means that the difficulty is set at 'OMG, YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO EVEN THINK ABOUT SELECTING THIS!' The team will need any advantage they can get. Another thing, these stats don't reflect Minato's. So just because Milla can survive Elizabeth's Megidolaon, doesn't mean Minato can do the same.

So, enjoy reading.


	5. Chapter 3: Tatarus

Thanks to ThePersonaficationOfNight and Kaijeno Arisato for the reviews. Sad that I only had two thus far… I'm hoping that it's because you readers like the story. Anyway, let's begin:

Disclaimer: I don't own whatever series that has been introduced here.

Warning: Some of contents in this chapter are a little painful to read. Painful for me to write too…

* * *

**Chapter 3: Tartarus**

* * *

_**Unknown Time, Velvet Room**_

Minato opened her eyes and found herself in the Velvet Room.

- This is… The 'Velvet Room' was it…?

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," spoke a voice in front of Minato.

The blue haired girl looked up and saw Igor, with the same creepy smile that he had on his face as last time.

"It's so nice to see you again," continued Igor, "You became unconscious after awakening to your 'Power'."

- My Power?

"I see that it was Maxwell that heeded your calling. That power is called a 'Persona'… It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"… 'Persona'…? I seem to remember calling it that…" muttered Minato.

Waiting for a few seconds to let Minato digest what she just heard, Igor continued:

"A Persona is facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli… You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

"I see…" mumbled Minato, "I remember reading about it from somewhere once… Carl Jung was it?"

"Being reading a lot, have we?" asked Igor with a chuckle, "When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength."

"My 'inner strength'?" asked Minato

"You ability grows as you progress through your journey," replied Igor, "There are two ways for you to do this; One of them is to develop your Social Links; Your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability."

Minato wore a sad expression as Igor finished explaining.

"My emotional ties… huh…" said Minato, sadly.

"I understand that you'll have some difficulty in developing them," said Igor, "But, I believe that you'll be able to overcome it."

Minato looked at Igor and gave a smile that seemed to say 'I hope you're right'.

"Now then, as for the other method…" continued Igor, "Well, you'll be experiencing it firsthand. So I doubt an explanation will be necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"Now then…" said Igor, ignoring Minato's words, "Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Until next we meet, farewell…"

Before Minato could ask any more questions, her vision began to blur. And soon, she once again, fell unconscious.

* * *

Old wounds open; Cries unheard

* * *

_**April 20**__**th**__**, Iwatodai Hospital**_

Minato opened her eyes and came to face a white ceiling.

- How long have I been asleep?

Minato looked at her surroundings. She was connected to an IV drip and lying on a bed. The room she was in had the smell of antiseptic, meaning she was in a hospital. The room was not very big, housing only her bed.

- A private room, huh.

As Minato continued to survey her surroundings, the door slid open and a man wearing a white coat walked in.

- He must be a doctor.

"Ah, you're awake," said the doctor the moment he saw Minato.

"Where am I?" asked Minato.

"You're in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital," replied the doctor as picked up a folder that was in front of Minato's bed, "You've been asleep for about a week. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…"

"That's good… Now let's see… You were brought in due to anemia and fatigue."

"What…?"

"Your blood pressure was on the low side, this, combined with exhaustion, caused your body to fall into a hibernate state."

"What about the injuries I suffered?"

"Injuries?" asked the doctor.

"When I was brought in, wasn't I covered in wounds?"

"You must still be dreaming," said the doctor with a chuckle, "Your fainting was due to anemia, not blood loss. Well, I have to attend the other patients; we'll run some test on you later. If all goes well, you'll be released by the end of today."

As the doctor left, Minato pondered to herself.

- Was all really a dream?

- No… It's impossible for me to have something like anemia without me realizing it…

- Then again…

Minato examined her whole body. There were no scars to indicate that she injured in any way.

- Nothing… Not even a blemish… Did it get worse?

- To heal this fast…

Suddenly, Minato covered herself with her blanket and then closed her eyes; thinking through the situation at hand.

* * *

Curtain rises; All hail the tearful masquerade

* * *

_**Nighttime, Iwatodai Dormitory**_

As soon as Minato got back, Runako dived into her chest; crying.

"Onee-Chan… Onee-Chuwaaann!"

Minato patted her sister's head.

"I'm fine… No need to cry so much," comforted Minato, "See, I'm fine."

"I hate to interrupt…" said a familiar voice.

Minato and Runako turned to the direction the voice came from. It belonged to Mitsuru, who was in the room.

"Sorry about that…" said Minato.

"It's fine, let us head to the room on the fourth floor. Everyone is already there."

As they head upstairs, Runako started giggling.

"What's wrong?" asked Minato with a small smile.

Runako continued to giggle; it seemed that something good had happen to her.

* * *

_**Same Time, Iwatodai Dorm's Meeting Room**_

When Minato entered the room, she was surprised at what she saw. Or rather, who.

A cap wearing boy sporting a goatee; Iori Junpei.

"S'up!" greeted Junpei.

"Iori…!" gasped Minato, "Why are you here?"

"Jun-Kun will be staying here from today onwards," answer Runako with a huge grin.

"Apparently, I'm a Persona user; just like you guys,"

"Per… sona?" asked Minato with a slightly grim look on her face.

"Ah, yes… I shall explain…" said Ikutsuki who was in the same room, "Please, take a seat."

"Oh, before that; I mentioned him before, but this is Sanada Akihiko."

Ikutsuki pointed to a silvered haired young man as everyone took a seat.

"How ya doin'" greeted Akihiko.

Minato nodded in response and looked around. Ikutsuki was sitting across her and to the side was Akihiko. On the other, was Mitsuru, Yukari and Junpei; With Runako sitting next to Minato.

As she looked, she noticed that Yukari was staring at her uncomfortably.

"Now, Arisato-San, let me start off by asking you this…" began Ikutsuki, "Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours a day?"

"Uh… What?" asked Junpei in confusion.

"Well, it is rather unbelievable…" said Mitsuru with folding her arms, "But you two have already experienced it firsthand."

"The lights disappeared from the city; All the machinery stopping… Coffin-like objects lined in the city…"

"I saw it all, dude!" wailed Junpei like a whiny teenage girl, "I went out to the convenience store and then all the lights went out and everyone around me turned into coffins! I was wailing like a baby, though I don't remember it all too well and then Sanada-San found me and… Kyaa, it was SO embarrassing!"

"Junpei, shut up," scolded Yukari, faceplamming.

"Haven't you began to realize?" continued Mitsuru, "That you were experiencing a 'different time' then normal? That's the Dark Hour; a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Well, it's not so much as hidden as no one is aware of it," said Ikutsuki, following up on Mitsuru, "But, the dark hour does exist. It occurs every night at midnight; it'll occur tonight, and every night to come."

As Ikutsuki finished what her said, Akihiko spoke up:

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting…"

"You saw those creatures," continued Akihiko, "We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?"

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that?" scolded Mitsuru, "You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now… He does his job well," said Ikutsuki, trying to calm Mitsuru down, "And we do fight them after all…"

"They're at it again…" said Runako with a sigh.

"Hmm… Did something happen while I was at the hospital?" asked Minato to her sister.

"They did the same thing when they were telling me all this."

- Same thing…? Does that mean…?

Once the argument between the seniors was settled, Ikutsuki continued the meeting:

"Ahem, long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad; SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader, I'm the club advisor."

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse," explained Mitsuru, "They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"Although rare, there are people who can function during the Dark Hour," continued Ikutsuki, "Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows."

Ikutsuki then face Minato and continued:

"That's Persona, the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's up to you guys."

After a few seconds, to digest the information, Minato spoke:

"I see… In short, you want us to join."

As soon as Mitsuru heard those words, she placed a silver case on the table and opened it.

Inside the case were two guns and two armbands.

"In short…" said Mitsuru with a smile, "That is exactly it! We've prepared Evokers for your use; we want you to lend us your strength."

"I'll do it!" shouted Junpei immediately as he literally jumped out of his seat, "This is sweet! I mean, we get to be heroes of justice."

Relieved at Junpei's response, Mitsuru turned her attention to Minato who was thinking to herself:

"What about you? Will you lend us you strength?"

Minato kept silent and continued thinking. This lasted for a few seconds before she spoke:

"Judging by how you were only asking me and Iori, I'm guessing that you've already asked my sister about this… Correct?"

"You're very perspective…" replied Mitsuru, "She has already agreed to join us. What about you, her sister?"

"I see…" muttered Minato, turning to her sister.

"Sorry, Onee-Chan," apologized Runako, "But when I heard about all the trouble the Shadow had caused…"

Minato smiled at her sister:

"It's all right. You're a kind girl after all; doing this isn't just like you."

Minato turned her attention back to Mitsuru and gave her answer:

"I'll-"

"Wait a minute," interjected Yukari.

Everyone was surprised by Yukari's sudden interruption, who had been silent for most of the meeting.

"I don't think letting her join is a good idea. I mean… Junpei's bad enough."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!"

Ignoring Junpei, Yukari continued:

"You've read her report, right Senpai? Then you should know what she did in the past."

"You're talking about how all the clubs she had joined during her middle school days always closing down immediately," replied Mitsuru, "Am I correct, Takeba?"

"Yeah, no offense to Runako-Chan, but letting her join would be a bad idea. Not to mention, she was in by the police for attacking another student, right?"

"Police?!" yelled Junpei, extremely surprised, "And she actually beat up someone?"

"Yu-Yukari-Chan, Onee-Chan isn't a bad person," said Runako, defending her sister.

"I don't know about that… She could be pretending…"

"But-"

"Hmm, it's true that her file said that she was accounted for violence. Not to mention being a club destroyer…" said Ikutsuki, "Then, how about this? She'll join us as an unofficial member."

"An unofficial member?" asked Mitsuru in a confused tone.

"Yes, as an unofficial member, she's not allowed to join in on any official club activities. But, seeing as our main role, fighting Shadows, is an unofficial activity, she can join in. So, if she ever gets into trouble, nothing will happen. Well, aside from her getting into trouble I mean."

"What kind of logic is that?" asked Yukari, unsatisfied.

"Well, it's the best solution I could come up with. We need as many members as we can get."

"But-"

"Takeba, stop being selfish," scolded Mitsuru, "Like the Chairman said, we need as many members as we can get. Their past experience means nothing."

Yukari was still reluctant. She was afraid of Minato; she likened her to that of a rose; beautiful, but deadly. To Yukari, Minato is someone who would hurt others without remorse.

"If you're still worried, we could move her out of the dorm," said Ikutsuki, still trying to convince Yukari.

"No!" shouted Runako, "I don't want Onee-Chan to move out!"

It was a stalemate. Yukari doesn't want Minato to join; while Mitsuru does. If Minato does join, Yukari would allow it on the condition that she moves out of the dorm; while Runako wants her sister to stay.

But, seeing that her new best friend, Runako, doesn't want her sister to move out, Yukari reluctantly agreed.

"Then it's decided," said Mitsuru, "Arisato, you'll be joining us as an unofficial member."

Mitsuru picked up one of the Evokers that was inside the case and passed it to Minato:

"You're not allowed to wear the armband, but this Evoker will be proof that you joined. I hope you'll use it responsibly."

Without a word, Minato stood up, took the Evoker and nodded. Still silent, Minato headed for the door, turned around and gave a kind smile to everyone and left.

"Woah, talk about a cute smile," said Junpei while blushing.

"It's an act. Don't let her fool you," warned Yukari, "She probably thought that changing schools would let her forget what she had done."

"Onee-Chan isn't that kind of person," cried Runako, defending her sister, "She's kind and gentle and a really great person!"

"You think that because she's your sister," argued Yukari, "I bet that, behind your back, she's actually planning her first target."

"All right, this conversation is over," interrupted Akihiko, "Let's discuss something more important. We've enough members, now we can start tackling 'that' place."

Mitsuru sighed at Akihiko's enthusiasm. The place he was talking about was Tartarus, a tower that could be considered a nest for Shadows. Considering the danger, Mitsuru deemed Tartarus off-limits until they could find enough members.

- Unbelievable, despite being injured, he still wants to fight…

- Speaking of injuries, Arisato's healed too quickly… The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her body, so it could be a result of her Persona…

- A Persona's attributes can affect those who summoned it.

- So, to heal this fast that not even a scar remained, it must be really powerful.

- Body…? Wait a minute… When I handed her the Evoker, her hand…

* * *

Rainy nights run; One heart remains silent

* * *

_**Dark Hour, Iwatodai Drom, Minato's Room**_

"Hi, how are you?" asked a familiar voice.

Minato got up from her bed sleepily, her eyes were drooping heavily.

"Sorry, but I'm a little tired…" answered Minato tiredly, "If you want to play, we can do it next time."

The boy chuckled at Minato's response. 'She must be really tired' was what the boy thought.

"Don't worry; I'm just here to tell you something I remembered."

"Soon, the 'end' would come…"

"Thank you…" replied Minato thoughtlessly, she was extremely tired.

The boy laughed at Minato's reply. He wasn't expecting to be thanked.

"I wasn't expecting you to thank me… But, you're welcome."

"That… is what I'm supposed to say, correct?"

Minato nodded to the young boy's question.

"Hmm, but even though I remembered that the 'end' would come, I don't know what it's supposed to be about…" said the boy in disappointment, "Oh well…"

"It seems that you've awakened to your power; and an unusual power it is…"

"It seemed to affect me… Look."

The boy pointed to his fringe that is now a different color. It used to be entirely black, but for some reason, his fringe was golden blond. This made his appearance a little out of place, surprising Minato.

"What happened to you hair?" asked Minato, slightly awakened from the surprised.

The boy simply laughed, brushing off Minato's question and worries.

"That doesn't matter… It's fine."

"Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor your commitment."

"I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me… See you later."

And with those words, the young boy vanished. Leaving Minato slightly confused as to what had happened.

* * *

Shapeless form changes; No end in sight

* * *

**April 21****st****, Iwatodai Dorm, Lounge**

Mitsuru was waiting for Minato in the lounge, wanting to question her.

- I checked the video of that night… Her hand didn't have 'that' at all…

As Mitsuru was thinking, Minato came down the stairs.

"Arisato… Morning," greeted Mitsuru.

"Eh… Good morning…" replied Minato softly as she made her way to the kitchen.

"There is something I want to confirm, can you show me your hand?" asked Mitsuru, getting straight to the subject.

Minato stopped and turned to face Mitsuru.

For an instant, Mitsuru thought she saw a tearful expression on Minato's face. But, Minato was giving a soft smile.

"It's no problem at all," replied Minato, "I assume it's about these markings on the back of my hands?"

Mitsuru was surprised at how fast Minato gave in.

- I thought she would have wanted to hide them…

- Wait… Hands…? Plural…?

Mitsuru immediately inspected Minato's hands as soon as she had shown them.

On the back, were two strange, faintly glowing symbols. One on each hand and they both had different designs.

The one on Minato's left hand looked like words from another language; while her right hand looked vaguely similar to the 'Nuclear' symbol.

"What are these symbols?" asked Mitsuru as she continued to examine the symbols.

"No idea," replied Minato, "They were already here when I woke up from the hospital…"

"I see…" said Mitsuru while concentrating on what the symbols meant.

After a few minutes, Minato spoke:

"Milla..."

"What was that?" asked Mitsuru, curiously.

"From what I could tell, the symbol on my left hand reads 'Milla'…"

"You could read it?"

"Somehow… yes. Though, I don't know why…"

Mitsuru stopped examining the symbols and looked at Minato. If it was anyone else, Mitsuru would think that they were lying. But for some reason, she believed that Minato was telling the truth and could really read the symbols.

- I wonder why…? No, more importantly, what are these symbols? Do they represent something? If so, then what do they represent?

Questions kept popping out of Mitsuru's head, with no answers to them. Believing that Minato was just as in the dark as she was, Mitsuru didn't bother to question her.

After some consideration, Mitsuru decided to deal with the matter after school, where the other members of SEES could give their thoughts on the matter.

* * *

Truth at hand; No one understands

* * *

**Same Day, Gekkoukan High School**

Minato went to school wearing gloves, covering the symbols on her, so as not to attract attention. Not that it mattered; her sudden absence from school attracted just as much attention.

"Hey, it's that transfer student… The one who called in sick for a week after a few days…"

"Didn't her sister transferred in at the same time?"

"Heard she was sent to the hospital; Something about being injured"

"I heard that she caused some incident in her previous school… Maybe she got in a fight?"

"What? Are you for real?! Someone like her?"

"I remember the teachers saying that used to be some punk. Kinda' explains her outfit."

The school was in an uproar over Minato's sudden absence. Rumors were spreading; some were about the reasons for why she was in the hospital; some were about how she was a delinquent in her previous school.

The rumors were fueled by some of the teachers, who believed that Minato was pretending to be sick, so she could go pick fights. Some believed that the reason she was in the hospital was due to fighting some gang. While the rest believed in her innocence and was truly sick.

It was a strange event. Rumors spread by students were heard by teachers. Teachers who believed in them tried to get Minato into trouble. And when the students heard this, they start to spread new rumors, worse than the last. This created a constant cycle; until nothing by baseless accusations were known throughout the school.

Soon, Minato became infamous in but one week. She was recognized by most as the school biggest 'delinquent'.

'Amazing'. That is what one would comment on the situation. Who would have thought that one trip to the hospital, would cause so much trouble.

No salvation; Despair awaits

"You shouldn't let baseless rumors get to you," said Toriumi to Minato.

Minato was called to the faculty office due to her absence from school and Toriumi wanted to make sure that Minato would not fall behind in her studies.

However, with the rumors floating around school, Minato could not walk around without listening to the other students whispering about her.

"The students here tend to gossip a lot, but they lose interest quickly. Leave them alone for awhile and they soon forget about all of this."

"Hmph, rumors or not, it's students like her that cause morals to decline," said Ekoda, a teacher from another class, "I say that she should be suspended for skipping school."

"Ekoda-Sensei! She was hospitalized for a week!" shouted Toriumi, "Why do you keep insisting that she skipped out on school?"

"You've read her report. A delinquent like her skipping out on school wouldn't be surprising. And who's to say that she didn't pretend to go to the hospital?"

It was a stupid debate. One without any meaning. There was proof that Minato was admitted to the hospital, but very few teachers would accept it. To them, Minato was already a 'problem student'.

They did not trust her. And because of that, they immediately assumed the worst of her.

* * *

No joy; No sorrow; Only pain

* * *

**Lunchtime**

"Man, who would've thought rumors could spread so fast…" said Junpei to Runako and Yukari.

"I'll say… Some of them are pretty accurate though," replied Yukari, who was drinking a can of coffee.

The three juniors had just finished their lunch and are now waiting for the next lesson to begin.

"Onee-Chan…" mumbled Runako somberly.

"Well, it was only a matter of time till they found out," said Yukari, "I really can't stand people like her. Bullying, destroying public stuff… They're the worst!"

"Uhh… Yuka-Tan… That's a little harsh."

Junpei shook his head at Yukari's words.

"Sides, it's not like Arisato-San did anything like that now. Maybe she changed?"

"You know what they say, 'A leopard can't change its spots'. I bet she'll do something like… paint over the school or something."

"Onee-Chan won't do something like that!" shouted Runako in anger.

The sudden outburst would have gotten some attention, if it wasn't for the fact that only the three juniors were the only ones in the classroom.

"Yukari-Chan, you've been hounding Onee-Chan since last night! Do you hate her?"

Yukari was taken aback by Runako's accusation. The truth was that Yukari did not hate Minato, but was afraid of Minato's 'reputation' of being a 'club destroyer'.

"I don't really hate her," replied Yukari, "But you should know that I can't afford to mess this up…"

Yukari had told Runako about her past. About how her father was blamed for the mysterious explosion that occurred in Iwatodai ten years ago; and how she was looking for clues to find out what really happened so she could clear her father's name. Seeing as Gekkoukan was owned by the Kirijou Group, joining SEES would be the best chance she could get in finding clues.

When Runako realized what Yukari had meant, she became silent. She knew that every club that her sister joined would always disband; though she doesn't know the reason. But in her heart, Runako believed that Minato did not do it on purpose. And as Yukari's friend, she knew that her own sister would cause the brunette problems.

Because of this, Runako could not blame Yukari to be wary of Minato. In the end, she could only pray that they would somehow get along soon.

* * *

Conflicts arise; No end in sight

* * *

_**Night time, Outside Gekkoukan High School**_

"Uhh… Why are we in front of the school?" asked Junpei who was scratching the back of his head"

The junior members of SEES were asked to meet in front of the school by Mitsuru who was accompanied by Akihiko.

"Heh, just wait a few more minutes… It's almost midnight," replied Akihiko with a smirk.

As soon as it struck midnight, the Dark Hour began. The ground suddenly shook and the school became slightly distorted. Some of the buildings grew taller, while some seemed to merge together.

In a few seconds, the school turned into a massive tower; leaving the juniors shocked at the transformation.

"This is Tartarus," said Mitsuru, unaffected by what had happened, "A labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

"Labyrinth?!" gasped Junpei, "What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?!"

"Once the Dark Hour ends, everything will return to normal," answer Mitsuru casually.

Unsatisfied by the answer, Junpei continued to ask questions. This time, accompanied by Runako:

"What? But why'd our school turn into a giant tower?"

The question was asked in such perfect unison, one would have thought that it was practiced. However, at the moment, no was in the mood to care about such things.

Silence. That was all Mitsutu gave after the two asked their question. Whether she knew but did not want to answer, or she did not know the answer, no one could tell as Mitsuru's face showed her usual quiet expression.

"Well, maybe we'll find out when we're in there," said Akihiko excitedly, "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; so this'll be our first time exploring it."

"Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue about the Dark Hour is there."

Mitsuru sighed; she wondered if taking care of children would be the same as dealing with Akihiko, who had forgotten that would not be joining the expedition thanks to his injuries.

"Akihiko, I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today," reminded Mitsuru.

"I know… You don't have to remind me," answered Akihiko with disappointment.

'Liar' was what the rest of SEES thought.

* * *

_**Entrance of Tartarus**_

The entrance of Tartarus was beautiful. Marble pillars, holding the structure up; Checkered floors that are also made of marble; a flight of stairs, covered in a red carpet, stood in the centre of the room.

"Whoa… It's just as cool as the outside…" said Junpei in amazement.

"It's kinda creepy though…" said Yukari, rubbing her arms.

"Hey, Onee-Chan, doesn't this look like those rooms in fairy tales?" asked Runako with a happy smile, "What are they called again? A 'balloon'?"

"It's 'ball room'," corrected Minato, "They're used to hold formal parties called 'balls', which is Latin for 'dance'. I'm sure you understand what that means."

"As expected of Onee-Chan, you know everything," praised Runako.

"I'm surprised," said Mitsuru in amazement, "I didn't expect you to like these sorts of things."

Hearing Mitsuru's words, Minato gave a sad smile:

"I don't… I just know these things…"

Confused, Mitsuru tried to ask what Minato meant, but after seeing that the blue haired girl had a sad look on her face, she decided to let it go.

After looking around, Akihiko asked the juniors to gather around.

"All right, now we'll have you guys get a feel of this place."

"What? By ourselves?" asked Yukari in surprised. She wasn't sure that she was ready to fight any Shadows yet.

"We're not asking you to go very far," said Mitsuru, "And I'll be navigating for you here."

"We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions," continued Akihiko.

Upon hearing the word 'leader', Junpei started to wave his hands excitedly.

"Oh, me! ME! Me me me! Pick me!"

The seniors looked at each other and sighed at Junpei's pathetic attitude.

Looking at the rest of the members, Akihiko pointed at Minato.

"Arisato, you're in charge."

"Wha…? B-but she's a girl!"

"I'm against this too, but for different reasons of course," said Yukari, "I can't trust her."

Akihiko shook his head in annoyance:

"In case you've forgotten Takeba, she's fought Shadows before."

"Seriously?" asked Junpei with surprised.

"Yeah… And another thing, you three… Can you summon your Persona? Just like she can?"

"I-I think I can," replied Runako, hesitantly.

"O-of course I can!" replied Junpei, also with hesitation.

"These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

There was silence. The three juniors could not deny what Akihiko had said. Minato was the only one who managed to summon her Persona without any problems and thus, was the best choice to lead the group.

Without any other choice, Junpei and Yukari gave up and allowed Minato to be leader.

"It's decided then," said Mitsuru, "Arisato will be leading."

Mitsuru then took out a case that was placed near a pillar and opened it. Its contents were weapons of different variety.

"We've prepared what we hope are suitable weapons for you. Pick whatever you want."

After a few minutes, the group had picked their weapons.

Junpei and Minato decided on swords; Yukari decided on a bow and arrows; Lastly, Runako decided on a naginata.

* * *

Wheels turn; Never stopping

* * *

_**Inside Tartarus**_

Unlike the entrance, the inside of Tartarus was dull. The dark walls and unpolished floors made it look like an abandoned castle, making the atmosphere extremely tense.

"This place gives me the creeps," said Yukari, shivering from the atmosphere.

"You said the same thing at the entrance Yuka-Tan," said Junpei with a chuckle, "But I have to agree, this place is making my skin crawl."

"Can you hear me?" asked a familiar voice.

"Kirijo-Senpai? How are you calling us?" asked Runako in surprise.

"It's my Persona's ability," answered Mitsuru, "It lets me scan the area as well as communicating via telepathy."

"Cool," said Junpei, energetically, "Can we do it too?"

"That would have to depend on your Persona. Mine has some communication prowess, but it was originally meant for combat."

"If you could fight, why didn't you join us?" asked Runako

"Tartarus' interiors changes from day to day, which is why outside support is imperative."

"But enough talk, I sense a group of Shadows coming your way. Prepare yourselves!"

The group readied themselves as per Mitsuru's warning, and sure enough, a group of Shadows appeared from around the corner.

The Shadows that were attacking the group looked like birds. Big birds that are, for some reason, carrying lanterns.

Without hesitation, Minato took out her Evoker and fired it at her head:

"Maxwell!"

At her call, a beautiful woman with messy multicolored hair appeared. The woman drew her sword and attacked the enemy.

Maxwell first slashed the bird nearest to her before setting another on fire. This caught the attention of the Shadows and surrounded her. Undeterred, Maxwell continued her attack; a flurry of slashes. Because of the small group, it wasn't long until all of the Shadows were defeated.

"Woo," whistled Junpei in awe, "That was amazing…"

"Onee-Chan's Persona is so strong," praised Runako.

"I have to admit, it's pretty strong," said Yukari.

Despite the praises, Minato was silent. She did not order her Persona to anything, yet she went off on her own and attacked.

"Who… are you?" asked Minato in a cautious tone.

The others were confused at Minato's question.

"Arisato, what are you talking about?" asked Mitsuru.

Minato did not answer and continued to stare at her Persona.

Maxwell turned around to face her summoner, revealing a beautiful face, and spoke:

"What a strange question to ask… Didn't you call for me? Master."

"Arisato, what's going on?" asked Mitsuru, "No… wait, there seems to be another person with you… This presence… What's going on?"

* * *

Shapeless power; Definite void

* * *

So many change of events, took me longer than I expected to write them. A lot of talking too.

Yukari is acting like a bitch here, but if you think about it, she does have a reason to be wary of Minato.

Anyway, I'm sure some of you know what those symbols on Minato's hands are. Command Spells. But they work differently here. Because they're still Personas, Minato can issue infinite orders, not like it'll have any impact on the story... They're just there to signify Minato's growth as a Persona-user.

I actually found it weird that Minato didn't get any sort of power up when she defeats the Full Moon Shadows. Seeing as Death is inside of Minato, and gave her a boost in her Persona powers, I figured defeating the others would do the same.

In this case, when Minato defeated the Magician, some of her Personas will gain sentience.

Too much? Maybe. But I was planning on doing this from the beginning.

Broken? Again, that only applies early on. See the author's notes in Chapter 2 for more details.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Until next time…


	6. Chapter 4: Wild Card

Thanks to diaaan, ThePersonaficationOfNight and The Shard of Flame Ice for the reviews. Finally, some criticism and input on the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own whatever series that appears in this story.

Warning: Some Minato bullying occurs in this chapter. Please prepare a nice warm blanket. Or some punching gloves.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Wild Card**

* * *

_**Dark Hour, Entrance of Tartarus**_

"This is just plain weird…" whispered Junpei.

"I'll say…" whispered back Runako.

"I mean… they have the same voice!"

"That's what you're talking about!?" retorted Yukari.

The juniors were asked to return immediately when something strange happened. Minato's Persona had gained sentience.

Or it had sentience. It was difficult to determine, since it was the first time Minato had summoned her Persona since the incident.

"I'll ask you one more time," questioned Mitsuru in a stern tone, "You are Arisato's Persona, correct?"

"I've already told you, I am," replied the Persona, Maxwell, who was annoyed at Mitsuru's constant asking of the same question.

Anyone who possessed even a little knowledge about Personas, would not blame Mitsuru from asking the same questions over and over.

A Persona is part of a person. There is no way for them to be sentient. Yet, right in front of them, was a sentient Persona.

It was confusing matter. How was it possible?

"Arisato, do you know anything about this?" asked Mitsuru to the bluenette.

Pondering for a few seconds, Minato shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm in dark about this as much as you are."

"I suppose so…"

It was back to square one.

How did the Persona gain sentience?

Why did it gain sentience?

And above all,

Can they trust it?

Deciding that the last question was the most important factor, Mitsuru decided to bring it up:

"Are you our enemy or our ally?"

When the Persona heard the question, it smiled and walked towards Minato.

"That depends on my master," replied Maxwell, placing it's a hand on the girl's shoulder.

When she heard the answer, Mitsuru nodded her head. The red head then stared at a mysterious gold clock that stood near the stairs.

It was unknown how the clock got there or how it worked. All that was known was that the clock tells how long the Dark Hour would last.

"The Dark Hour is about to end, we'll continue this discussion tomorrow."

The junior members of SEES nodded in agreement. They were tired from exploring the tower. Even though, Minato and her Persona did most of the work in fighting the Shadows they encountered while finding the exit.

According to Mitsuru, the Dark Hour causes one to become fatigued more easily. Which means that even simple running and dodging will exhaust a person completely; especially students who don't know how to fight.

* * *

Like a sword; she fights until the fight is won

* * *

_**Velvet Room**_

As soon as Minato had fallen asleep, she dreamt of a mysterious blue door. Around her was nothing by an abyss of darkness.

- Where… am I?

- What is this door?

The bluenette tried to open the blue door, but it was locked and would not budge.

- I need a key… A key? Maybe…

Remembering her time in the Velvet Room, Minato searched her pockets; attempting to find the key she was given.

After a few seconds, Minato had found the key and inserted it into the keyhole.

- It fits…

_Click_

The sound of an unlocked rang in Minato's ears. The girl was surprised, as she had yet to turn the key.

But for some reason, she did not care.

It was meant to unlock like that.

It was meant to open like that.

It was meant to work like that.

Those thoughts rang in Minato's mind; and without giving it a second thought, she opened the door and entered; finding herself in a familiar blue room.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," greeted Igor in the usual welcoming voice.

Minato returned the greeting and sat in the usual chair she always woke up in.

"I've been waiting for you," said Igor, with the same Cheshire grin on his face, "The time has come for you to wield your power."

Upon hearing the word 'power', Minato tried to speak, only for Igor to continue:

"The tower that you will venture… How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?"

Good questions, was what Minato thought. The blue haired girl stared at the old man, hoping that he will provide the answers.

Sadly, he did not.

"Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware about the nature of your power."

"That is something I wanted to ask about," said Minato, almost jumping off her seat, "Why did Maxwell become sentient?"

Igor chuckled at Minato's question, like a father would to his children.

"Patience; first, let me explain about your power. Please, sit down."

Hearing what Igor had said, Minato made a slight cough and went back to her seat, slightly embarrassed.

Elizabeth, who was also in the room, made a slight smile. This somehow gave off the impression that she was trying to hold back her laughter.

"Your power is unique," continued Igor as soon as Minato calmed down, "It's like the number zero…"

"It's empty, yet holds infinite possibilities."

"Because of this, you are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them when needed."

When Igor had finished, he waved at Elizabeth, who was holding a thick book.

"This is the Persona compendium," said Elizabeth as she stepped forward, "Within it, houses all the records of the Personas you can currently summon."

The elevator attendant handed the book to Minato and continued her explanation:

"The compendium can tell everything you need to know about your Personas. Name, biography, parameters and skills, all of them are recorded inside."

Minato browsed through the book after Elizabeth had finished her explanation, and noticed that aside from a few pages, the rest of the book was blank.

"Most of the book is blank…" said Minato, turning to Igor for answers.

"Yes," said Igor with a chuckle, "Like I said last time, your power grows depending on the development on your Social Links."

"You also mentioned another method…"

"Indeed I did. I've also said that it required no explanation. Have you figured it out yet?"

Hearing the question, Minato went silent and thought to herself for a few seconds.

"Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users…"

"Does that mean I have to fight Shadows in order to gain more Personas?"

Chuckling to himself, Igor nodded, to signify that Minato was correct in her assumption.

"There is, of course, a limit to this particular method," said Igor, "You will need to fight exceptionally powerful Shadows when you have hit that limit."

"To ensure that you will not have any trouble on your journey, it's best that you develop your Social Links."

Minato stayed quiet for a few seconds, before nodding to Igor's words.

"Again, I like to express my belief that you will be able to overcome the difficultly you're facing," said Igor with a kind smile, "Now then, time marches on in your world, we shall meet again my dear guest."

* * *

Kindness in dreams; Sorrows in reality

* * *

_**April 22**__**nd**__**, Iwatodai Dorm**_

- It wasn't a dream.

Thought Minato, when she woke up and found the compendium lying next to her.

The book's appearance was the same as when she was in the Velvet Room. Its contents too, were the same; empty, save for a few pages.

She looked through the contents, as she did not have time to give it a thorough reading.

"Maxwell…" mumbled Minato as she read, "Milla…? Wait, this name was written on that symbol on my hand."

The blue haired girl compared the name on the symbol with the one in the book.

Despite the difference in language, the words both said the same thing. 'Milla'.

Minato did not know what to make out of her discovery. Does the symbol represent her Persona? If so, why did appear on her body? Why is it necessary to have the symbol?

Question kept swirling around Minato's head, until she decided that she did not have enough clues to figure anything out.

- Maybe Kirijo has some insight on this…

Deciding her next move, Minato changed into her uniform and went to the lounge.

The lounge was empty, as expected seeing as it was really early in the morning with most of the dorm's residents still asleep in their beds.

The only people who would be awake this early were Mitsuru and Minato. Akihiko would also be one of the early risers, so he could do his morning exercise, but thanks to his injuries, he had to remain in bed.

"Good morning, Arisato," greeted Mitsuru, who was eating breakfast; a piece of toast with butter on.

"Morning…" the bluenette greeted back as placed the book on the table.

"Reading this early?" asked Mitsuru with a hint admiration in her voice, "Quite a heavy book to start the morning though, don't you think?"

"It's not for reading… Remember the symbols?"

At the mention of the symbols on Minato's hands, Mitsuru's face immediately turned from casual to business woman.

Girl is explaining…

"I see," said Mitsuru after Minato's explanation, "So you're saying that this book was the same one from your dream."

The red head was skeptical. Makes sense, as what Minato had said was too farfetched. After all, a dream is just that; a dream. A book is not enough to prove anything.

However, what was written in the book was enough for Mitsuru to consider what Minato said as a possibility.

The book contained detailed explanation on a Persona's strength and weaknesses. While it was possible for Minato to write it all by herself, the contents were written so neatly that it looked like it was typed from a computer. The consistency of the letters only served to prove Mitsuru's belief further.

Not to mention the name 'Milla'; which was the same name that was written on the symbols on Minato's hands.

"Was there anything else you brought back from your dream?"

Thinking for a few seconds, Minato remembered that she also had the key to the Velvet Room. However, when she rummaged through her pockets, she realized that the key was not in her pockets.

- Did I leave it in my room?

Dismissing herself, Minato ran to her room and searched for the key. But it was nowhere to be found. Slightly disheartened, Minato went back to the lounge.

"Did you find anything?" asked Mitsuru when she saw the blunette returned.

Minato shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"Is that so…" said Mitsuru, folding her arms, "Well, it's not like it matters. This book should be enough proof as a whole."

"How do you mean?" asked Minato.

"While the book itself is not good enough to be evidence; the contents, are. "

"It states in great detail what your Persona can do. Or rather, Personas, seeing as there is a page in here detailing another. And since we've yet to meet this second Persona, if you managed to summon it, it will be enough to prove that what you said as true."

Minato thought through what Mitsuru had said before nodding in agreement.

"Then we'll test this out tonight," said Mitsuru as she got off the chair she was sitting, "I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later."

* * *

Gears slowly connect; Time soon flows

* * *

_**Same Day, Gekkoukan High School**_

Jealously; an emotion that many people carry. And the cause for this emotion always varies.

I'm jealous of his bravery.

I'm jealous of her beauty.

I'm jealous of her brains.

I'm jealous of his speed.

I'm jealous of his ability to get a girlfriend.

I'm jealous.

People are always jealous of others. Those who are envied tend to never realize they are being envied. Likewise, those who envy never show their enviousness.

In due time, that envy turns into hate. Causing them to lash out at the people they are envious of.

And every time that happens, the ones who are lashed at are the ones who are blamed.

Such a case had occurred to Minato when she was called to the faculty office for breaking one of the school rules.

Most if not all Japanese schools have a policy that a student must wear indoor shoes when entering the school building. But Minato's was missing from her shoebox when she arrived that morning.

Getting in trouble for being late for class or for entering the building with her regular shoes; it was a lose-lose situation. Thus, Minato had to choose the option that will give her the least trouble.

"I can't believe you just walked into class like that," said Toriumi as she sighed at Minato's actions, "You're a high school student now. You should know better than this."

Normally, when a student gets blamed for something they had no control over, they would try to defend themselves.

But for Minato, she just stayed quiet. She did not defend herself. She did not argue back.

The reason for this was simple, this had happened before.

When she was in middle school, the students did the same thing to Minato. And she was called to the faculty office; the ones who stole her shoes snuck to her shoe locker and placed it back.

A cunning but petty action.

Because of that experience, Minato knew that explaining would not change anything. And she was right; a teacher was sent to investigate her shoe locker, only to find out that her shoes were still inside.

This caused her infamy as a 'delinquent' to grow even bigger.

* * *

_**After School, Classroom**_

"Man, talk about a shocker," said Junpei in disbelief of Minato's action.

The cap wearing young man was talking to Runako, who was packing her bag.

"This actually happened before when we were in middle school," said Runako with indifference.

"What? You mean she pulled the same stunt a few years back?"

"Nah," said Runako with a chuckle, "Some bullies hid Onee-Chan's shoes and then placed it back when she was called to the office. They were caught after their third attempt though."

"Uh… Shouldn't you tell the teachers that?"

"Why?"

"Whaddaya mean 'why'? You know how bad your sis' reputation is right now. They're already thinking about suspending her. If ya don't tell 'em anything, they might go through with it."

Runako laughed at what Junpei had said. As if the boy had made the funniest joke in history.

"W-What's so funny?" asked Junpei in a worried voice.

"'Assume she's lying'… hahaha!" laughed Runako, "You say the funniest things sometime Jun-Kun. Only people with extreme paranoia and jerks would doubt Onee-Chan."

"I'm serious! She's gonna get in trouble if y-"

"Honestly, you're as bad as Yukari-Chan," interrupted Runako as she tries to contain her laughter, "Onee-Chan is a great person. There's no way the teachers won't believe her."

The auburn haired girl then stood up, having finished packing her bag, and walked towards the door.

"Well, I've got to go. I promised Renko-Chan and Mary-Chan that I'll go shopping with them. Bye."

Runako left in a cheery mood while Junpei watched in complete shock.

"S-She… Can't be serious… Right?"

* * *

Lost tears; Mournful melody

* * *

_**Nighttime, Iwatodai Dorm**_

"So that's what happened…" said Mitsuru.

Junpei was explaining to her about what had happened to Minato and how the same thing had happened to her when she was in middle school.

"I understand the situation, but if you think about it, there are several ways to avoid it."

"There is?" asked Junpei in surprised.

"Yes. She could have just taken off her shoes for one thing. Or she could have waited by the lockers."

"I did that before," said Minato who just came down the stairs, "It didn't work."

Surprised, Mitsuru asked:

"It didn't? I expected the teachers to be more understanding."

"'Attention seeker', 'a lying delinquent' and 'a problem student through and through', that's what they called me," said Minato, slight depression filled her voice, "Because of that, whatever I say won't hold unless there's definite evidence to back it up."

"I see… Then what about waiting by the lockers? Your shoes were missing, so that should be enough to serve as proof."

"They assumed that I hid my shoes so I would have reason to skip out on class. Like I said, whatever I say falls on deaf ears. The only way anyone would believe me, would be to catch the culprits in the act."

"You reap what you sow," said Yukari who was also in the room, "Considering all the stuff you did, I'm surprised you weren't expelled."

There was a sudden silence. One could argue that Yukari should not have opened her mouth.

As the seconds run by, Junpei thought that the room was getting colder and colder.

"Uh… I'm going back to my room…"

"…Me too," said Minato, following Junpei to the stairs, "Kirijo, call me when the Dark Hour has occurred…"

Seeing Mitsuru's agreement, Minato climbed the stairs.

"Takeba…"muttered Mitsuru loudly, "You should really think through your words before speaking…"

* * *

_**Dark Hour**_

Mitsuru had announced what Minato had told her in the morning to the other members of SEES.

"Multiple Personas…" muttered Akihiko, "Is there such a thing?"

"We don't know," replied Mitsuru, "That's why we're testing it now."

"Arisato, are you ready?"

Minato nodded her head in affirmation then closed her eyes and stayed silent.

Seeing as Igor did not tell her how to summon her other Personas, she had to figure it out herself.

Several minutes had passed since the Dark Hour occurred. Though, time doesn't really move during it.

Minato had yet to summon her other Persona.

"Still nothing?" asked an impatient Junpei, "Her eyes are still closed… Think she's asleep?"

"I doubt that," replied Yukari, staring into space.

Silence returned once again.

Several more minutes passed and the members of SEES with the exception of Mitsuru were growing sleepy.

"Is she done yet?" asked an impatient Junpei.

"For the twentieth time, no, "replied an irritated Akihiko, "What's taking so long?"

"Be quiet, "replied Mitsuru, "We have no idea how summoning a different Persona works, so we must let her concentrate."

Not wanting to just sit around, Runako decided to ask some questions to pass the time.

"Say, do we need to wait till the Dark Hour to summon our Persona?"

"No, there's not really a need to wait," answered Mitsuru, not taking her eyes off Minato, "A Persona can be summoned at anytime, so long as you have your evoker. Which is precisely why you're not allowed to carry it around during the day."

"Wait, if we could summon it at anytime, why were waiting till the Dark Hour?" asked Yukari.

"We have no idea what will happen when this new Persona is summoned. And considering what she's summoning, it's best to be cautious."

"What is she summoning anyway? A lion?"

"It-"

Mitsuru was interrupted when Minato suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed her evoker.

Pointing it to the side of her head, Minato fired the gun with a shout:

"Medusa!"

Following the gunshot was the sound of glass shattering, blue fragments poured out from the other side of Minato's head.

A beautiful woman appeared in front of everyone.

She was wearing a black one-piece dress with a matching pair of long boots and fingerless gloves. Her appearance was vastly different from the Gorgon depicted in the legends. Instead having snakes for hair, her hair was purple, long and beautiful. It was difficult to tell, seeing as she was wearing a blindfold that covered her eyes and part of her face, but her face was beautiful compared to the grotesque appearance depicted in the legends.

'This is Medusa?' was what all the members of SEES were thinking.

* * *

A sad song; The sad little canary

* * *

This took LONGER than it should to write. Procrastination is bad. Really bad.

So yeah, that was Medusa. You know the one. Expect some fanservice (lol) from now on.

Poor Minato, getting into trouble for something she has no control over. I'm actually not sure what would happen when you enter the school with your regular shoes, but I decided that whatever happens, Minato will suffer for it. Expect more of these petty bullying to happen from now on. At least, till Aigis joins the party.

This chapter isn't as great or as long as the previous one, because I was trying to finish all the 'tutorial' stuff as soon as possible. Now that it's all out of the way, I should be able to focus more on the story telling.

Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Even if it's a small piece of enjoyment. Until next time…


	7. Bio - Medusa

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here. Except for some of the creative writing

* * *

**Name: **Medusa

**Master: **Arisato Minato

**Class: **Rider

**Arcana: **Empress

**True Name: **Gorgon Medusa

**Sex: **Female

**Title: **Bewitching Black Serpent

**Origin:** Fate/Stay Night

* * *

_**Stats**__**:**_

**Strength:** _B_

**Endurance: **_D_

**Agility: **_A+_

**Mana: **_EX_

**Luck: **_D_

**S. Card**: _A+_

* * *

**Bio:**

One of the three Gorgon sisters of Greek legend. She and her sisters were actually embodiments of the wishes born from humanity for the ideal goddesses. However, unlike her sisters, Medusa was mortal; fated to grow older and taller. In addition, she was cursed with eyes that could turn anyone that she gazed, into stone. Because of these differences, she was bullied by her sisters.

Jealous of the sisters' allure, the goddess Athena goaded the Gorgons' worshippers into attacking them. This act of transgression resulted in bitterness against humans within Medusa, causing her to attack anyone who dared to come near her and her sisters.

As time pass, Medusa's killing of human invaders had spread fear and infamy amongst the humans, turning her into an icon of terror. Because she was created from human desires, the fear Medusa had spread turned her into the atrocious Gorgon of legend.

At the peak of her insanity, Medusa devoured her sisters; who gave themselves willingly out of love and with hopes that their sacrifice would turn their beloved sister back to normal.

Eventually, Medusa was slain by Perseus, ending her tortured and dismal life.

It's unrelated, but she's best friends with the Personas 'Promise' and 'Bonds'. She also thinks that the Persona 'King Arthur' is cute.

* * *

**Class Skill(s):**

Magic Resistance: _B_

_Cancels spells of B-Rank and below. In video game terms, only enemies of mid-boss level and above can do any sort of magical damage._

Riding: _A+_

_All vehicles will be handled with skills that only a god can match._

* * *

**Evility:**

Divinity: _E-_

_Normally, this skill would be at A, but because of Medusa's transformation into the atrocious Gorgon, it was reduced to E-. At this rank, she could resist a small amount of damage from artes under the Light and Almighty affinity. Its low rank also grants slight resistance to artes under the Dark affinity._

Monstrous Strength: _B_

_This skill increases the user's strength by one rank for a time limit determined by the rank. At this rank, she can use it continuously in exchange for losing her sanity slowly. If not careful, she will gain back her status as the atrocious Gorgon._

Mystic Eyes: _A+_

_See Cybele_

Fragile Heart: _A_

_This is a skill or a curse depending on the user. It is gained when the user had gone through something traumatic in their past life; causing them to be emotionally detached or even cold to others. However, they are willing to do anything for the people(master) they care about. At A-Rank, she is willing to suffer any kind of abuse and even kill to protect the people(master) she cares about._

Alcohol Tolerance: _C_

_This skill determines how much alcohol the user can handle before turning drunk. At this rank, an entire store is barely enough to make her tipsy._

Friends To All Animals: _B++_

_This skill is granted to those who had a strong connection to animals during their life. At this rank, even a Unicorn won't shy away from her._

* * *

**Spell Card:**

Cybele: _A+_

_Medusa's Mystic Eyes. They have the ability to cause petrification to all that fall under Medusa's gaze; whether they have looked with their eyes physically or mentally. Those who possess Rank-C or lower in Mana will immediately be petrified; while those of Rank-B will feel the effects as they get closer. Those of Rank-A and above on the other hand, will not be petrified but will feel pressured by her gaze; causing a decrease in rank in all parameters._

_On an unrelated note, she can escape from the police using this ability._

Blood Fort Andromeda: _B_

_A bounded field that is based on the temple from the Shapeless Island; Medusa's home. It surrounds a wide area with a crimson dome-shaped barrier that separates anything inside the dome from the outside world. It effects depends on who is inside the dome. The stronger the person, the longer it takes for the dome to affect them. But it does not mean their safe. Until Medusa is defeated, the dome will remain, sucking all the energy from her enemies until there are none left or until she's satisfied._

Gorgon Breaker: _C-_

_A bounded field that seals away all magical properties. Taking the form of a blindfold, it is mostly used to seal off Medusa's Mystic Eyes, but it could also block off all kind of status effects. Meaning she can't be charmed, panicked, shocked, spooked or raged._

_She also has a pair of glasses that could also seal her Mystic Eyes, however, it does not have the ability to block off status effects nor seal magical properties._

Bellerophon: _A+_

_Known as the Rein of Pegasus, it grants an increase of one rank to all parameters on a mount and allows it to use its most powerful charge to destroy a target. If used on Pegasus, defense and speed would be increased to point that just seeing would be a difficult task. See Pegasus for more details._

Pegasus: _EX_

_The winged horse from Greek legend. It was granted to Medusa as a gift from Poseidon and has been her companion ever since. Because of its age, its defense and magic resistance is equal to a dragon; while its speed breaks the sound barrier. This makes it the strongest among the winged horses. Due to its kind nature, Medusa needs to fasten the harness Bellerophon in order to get it to fight._

* * *

Here's Medusa's bio page. Please enjoy what is written in here.


	8. Chapter 5: Inquiry of Arisato Minato I

Disclaimer: I own none of the series that appeared here. None of them!

Warning: This chapter has some Minato woobieness. Please prepare a blanket.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Inquiry of Arisato Minato I**

* * *

It's sudden, but let's talk about Personas.

Personas are the manifestation of a person's psyche. They take on a form that resembles supernatural entities like gods, demons and angels.

The forms vary from person to person and grants different abilities. For example, a person who acts high and mighty, but is really insecure on the inside, will summon a Persona that is strong to physical attacks but is weak in magical attacks or a Persona that has a strong affinity with fire but weak to wind.

Because a Persona is what a person's true self, there is no way for them to lose these weaknesses with training. If a person is weak to ice, will forever be weak to ice, no matter how much they train.

However, if a person were to accept what they truly are, and find the resolve to be a better person; their Persona will grow and change their strength and weaknesses as well.

Such things are difficult to occur, of course, as not many people are willing to accept their weaknesses. Thus, they need a person who is willing to help them grow.

Speaking of weaknesses, it is impossible for a person to gain a natural Persona that has no weaknesses. In other words, a Persona that is capable of repelling everything naturally is nothing more than wishful thinking.

It is also impossible for a person to gain a Persona that has the powers of a god; even if they do take on their names and forms. Thus, even if you have a Persona that resembles Demeter, it will not have the ability to grant fertility.

So, what happens when a person has a Persona that ignores these laws? Is that person still human? Is the Persona still a Persona? These are the questions the members of SEES are asking, in regards of Arisato Minato; who has managed to summon the Gorgon, Medusa.

* * *

_**Dark Hour, Iwatodai Dorm**_

"Let's see…" said Mitsuru, reading through the compendium, "Monstrous Strength… Cybele… Gorgon Breaker…"

"Sounds like something out of a video game," exclaimed Junpei excitedly as Mitsuru read out the Medusa's biography, "And dude, she's hot… Is she really Medusa? The games I played always showed her as some ugly monster."

Yukari nudged Junpei at his sides and whispered, "Don't talk like she's not here, she can hear you."

Thankfully, the Persona did not seem to care about Junpei's comment and continued standing right behind her master.

Ever since she was summoned, Medusa just stood by Minato, not do anything. This made everyone, aside from Mitsuru and Minato, a little uncomfortable.

"This is pretty impressive," said Mitsuru as she closed the compendium, "A Persona of this caliber should be capable of defeating any Shadow."

"Arisato, how did you change your Persona? If we could replicate the pro-"

"It's impossible for anyone to replicate it," said Medusa.

Everyone was surprised when the Persona, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly talked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's impossible for anyone to summon multiple Personas without access to the Velvet Room. And furthermore, it's impossible for anyone to summon 'us'."

"Us?" asked Yukari in hope of an elaboration.

"I refer to the beings that my master can summon. I don't know how she could do it, but I do know that she's the only person who could."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" yelled Yukari.

"Takeba," muttered Mitsuru; trying to stop the brunette from saying anything drastic, "Sorry about that, could you elaborate what you were talking about? Why is Arisato the only one who could enter this 'Velvet Room'?"

"Only those who had signed the contract may enter the Velvet Room. And they are given to those who need it."

"I see… And what is the criterion to be someone who 'needs it'?"

Medusa went silent. It seems that she did not know the answer to Mitsuru's question. Either that or she does not wish to answer it.

"Next question then, what do you mean by 'beings'?"

"That would be us, the spirits of legends, myths and concepts. Everything, from the English Pixie to the Goddess of the Sun to the embodiment of 'Desire'. So long as she has power, our Master can summon us."

The members of SEES shuddered with fear. The ability to summon powerful beings like Maxwell and Medusa was already crazy and frightening. But to summon even a god, it was truly a frightening thought.

Seeing their reaction, Minato sighed.

"If you're worried that I'll abuse this power, there's no need. Because if I did, Maxwell would have been enough."

Minato's words did not put their hearts at ease. Except for Runako, who easily and innocently accepted her sister's explanation.

There was another exception, Mitsuru; who, for some unexplained reason, believed Minato's words. It was not out naivety or gullibility; she truly believes that Minato's words are worth trusting.

- Why?

A simple yet deep question.

"I think that we can trust Arisato's words for the moment," said Mitsuru, ignoring her feelings of confusion.

"What?!" exclaimed Yukari, unable to believe Mitsuru's decision, "But, won't she…"

"Arisato said it herself; if she wanted to, she could have easily abused her powers with just Maxwell."

"Yup, Onee-Chan never goes back on her word!" supported Runako.

"I have to agree, she doesn't seem the type to go around smiting people," said Akihiko jokingly.

"Well, Yuka-Tan… looks like you're the only one who's against this," said Junpei.

It was a one-sided battle. Everyone sided with Mitsuru, leaving Yukari with no choice but to reluctantly trust Minato.

"By the way, since they're actually sentient beings rather than Personas…" mentioned Akihiko, "Should we still call them Personas? I feel that doing that would be a little weird."

Mitsuru nodded her head in agreement:

"You're right. We should come up with a different term for them."

"Oh, I have a great idea!" said Junpei excitedly, "I've played this game that's actually similar to Arisato-San's ability. A group of people summoned a bunch of heroes and stuff to fight in some tournament to gain a wish. The heroes are called 'Servants' while the ones who summoned them were called 'Masters'."

"'Servants' and 'Masters'…" mumbled Mitsuru who then chuckled at Junpei's suggestion, "I supposed it fits Arisato's situation well enough. We shall call Arisato's 'Personas', 'Servants' from now on."

With everyone nodding in agreement, they decided to call it a night and head off to bed.

No one noticed Medusa's reaction to Junpei's suggestion; a small smile that somehow radiated nostalgia.

"Servants… huh…" mumbled Medusa to herself, "I guess there's no escaping that term…"

* * *

Unbreakable Shackles; Torn smiles

* * *

_**April 23**__**rd**__**(?), Dark Hour, Entrance of Tartarus**_

The group had decided to explore Tartarus that night, wanting to make up for their first attempt at exploration.

Another reason would be to test the power of Minato's Personas. Or 'Servants' as they call them now.

"We're not sure how powerful the Servants are, so we'll have all of you go in together," said Mitsuru.

The others nodded in affirmation to Mitsuru's orders and prepared themselves in entering the tower.

"Arisato, I'm leaving you in charge of leading the exploration. They're your Servants after all."

"Okay…" mumbled Minato before climbing the stairs.

* * *

_**Inside of Tartarus**_

"Splash!" shouted Maxwell; casting a powerful water spell.

"Another enemy down, good work," congratulated Mitsuru over the transmission.

Aside from Minato, the juniors were in awe at the power of Minato's Persona. They had been fighting for ten minutes, with only Minato and Maxwell destroying every enemy that came in their way.

"Man, if this was a video game, she'll be considered hax made," said Junpei in complete amazement, "Think we're holding her back?

"As expected of Onee-Chan," exclaimed Runako, "Even Shadows are nothing compared to her!"

Yukari could only sigh at Runako's praise:

"That's not really a compliment."

These kinds of talks were going on while Minato and her Servant were fighting. One would consider it unfair. In fact, it is; but Minato did not say anything, instead keeping quiet and continues fighting.

This, of course, annoyed Mitsuru. They needed the entire team to be able to summon their Personas; especially when they need it. Thus, having Minato and Maxwell fighting the entire battle would not help in the slightest.

Of course, Mitsuru wishes to see what the Servant and her Master could do. But having the other juniors get used to battle took priority over all else.

Nodding her head, Mitsuru made her decision.

"Arisato, please return," ordered Mitsuru over the transmission, "The rest of you remain where you are for the time being."

"Huh? W-why…?" asked Junpei, confused by the sudden order.

"For the past ten minutes, Arisato and her Servant have been fighting all the battles. While the exploration is important; getting used to battle takes top priority. I cannot allow the three of you to slack off."

"But… the three of us had never summoned our Personas before," argued Runako.

"All the more reason for you to start; Arisato will not always be around to do it for you," retorted Mitsuru sternly, "Especially if you get separated."

Seeing Mitsuru's point, the three juniors could only agree.

"I think it's best if I stayed here," said Minato, "If they were run into any trouble and could not summon their Personas, I could protect them."

"Normally, I would agree. But considering the power of your Servants, they might not be able to summon their Personas because of the security you provide."

"?"

"Personas are summoned via trauma. The Evokers simulate that feeling of trauma; allowing one to summon their Personas. If you're around, they might not be able to summon anything because they will relax their guard."

Minato could only remain silent. Mitsuru was correct; People tend to lower their guard when they're protected by someone who is strong. Especially around weak enemies.

However, Minato was reluctant. She did not want to leave her sister unprotected, especially in a place like Tartarus; where enemies are crawling around everywhere. Yet, at the same time, she wants her Sister to be independent; to not rely on her for everything. These two conflicting thoughts clashed in Minato's mind; leaving her hesitant to answer.

"Don't worry; I've scanned all the enemies on the floor you're currently on," said Mitsuru reassuringly, "The enemies aren't that strong. And you've proven that direct combat is a safe approach. I'll guide them, so just return to the entrance and relax."

After thinking for a few seconds, Minato decided to follow Mitsuru's orders and returned to the entrance:

"Very well… But they're not allowed to ascend to another floor."

"Of course, I won't allow them to do anything dangerous."

After warning the other juniors to be careful, Minato went back to the entrance.

"Is it just me or does Arisato-San seem older than us?" asked Yukari the moment Minato had left.

"Onee-Chan is the most mature person in the world," replied Runako cheerfully.

* * *

Happiness crushed; Hatred burns

* * *

It had been ten minutes since Minato had left for the entrance and the group had yet to come across a single Shadow.

"I'm bored," said Junpei as he placed his hands behind his head, "Where are those Shadows?"

Yukari sighed at Junpei's complaint, she was grateful that there were no Shadows around as it means that she doesn't have to fight. And more importantly, shoot herself in the head.

"Maybe all the Shadows were scared away during the earlier fights."

Junpei frowned at Yukari's words. He was itching to summon his Persona; hoping that he could prove himself as a reliable member of SEES. And not been able to fight Shadows or summon his Persona does no aid in that goal.

Truth be told, he wanted some excitement. When he heard that he had potential to be a Persona user, he was bouncing with joy. He was special like the characters in those video games he played. He could be a hero like the characters in some of the movies he watched. Though, the main reason was that he finally had a purpose in life. To have something he could risk his life in.

But all of that was swept away by Minato's ability. To be able to change Personas and above all, they were sentient. This caused Junpei to be jealous. His unique ability was outdone before he could even use them.

- Talk about unfair…

As mentioned before, jealously would make people hate others over time. But this was not the case for Junpei. Despite how he acts, the young man was actually really mature when it comes to dealing with people. He would never let rumors, personal feelings or stereotyping to affect his judgement of people. Of course, there will be times where he would let his emotions get the better of him. But in the end, he would always be apologetic for doing so, and will try to make peace with the people he lashed out at.

Thus, while he was jealous of Minato's ability as a Persona user, he would not hate her for it.

"Shadows!"

Mitsuru's warning snapped Junpei back to reality, but it was so sudden that he was momentarily stunned when he came face to face with a group of 'Maya' Shadows.

"W-wha?! Where'd they come from?" asked the startled cap wearing boy.

"Get your head in the game Stupei!" scolded Yukari, who was readying her weapon.

"They're weak, but exercise caution," warned Mitsuru.

One of the Mayas slid towards Runako and swiped its claws at her. Because of its speed, Runako could barely dodge the attack, allowing it to scratch her legs.

"Ow!" screeched Runako, overreacting to the injury, "Now you've done it."

Grabbing her Evoker, Runako fired the gun at the side of her head; the sound of glass shattering could be heard and blue fragments came out from the other side.

A woman wearing a pink rode appeared before the auburn haired girl. The woman had the same hair color as the one who summoned her and had tanned skin. In her right hand was a goblet encrusted with gems while in her left, she wore a ring on her ring finger.

The woman was wearing a mask like Medusa. But unlike the Gorgon, the mask looked like it was part of her face. Along with the strange aura that enveloped her, one could immediately tell that it was not like Minato's Servants. It was an ordinary Persona, nothing more.

Words echoed within Runako's mind:

"_Thou art I; And I am thou. I am Hera; Goddess of Marriage."_

At Runako's command, the Persona raised its chalice; fire sprouting from its rim. The fire then flew to the Mayas, setting them ablaze. Soon, most of them were defeated.

"Nice, Runa-Tan!" complimented Junpei.

Not wanting to be left out of the action, the cap wearing boy too summoned his Persona.

A metallic warrior wearing a winged helmet and winged greaves appeared before the boy, whispering in his mind:

"Thou art I; and I am thou. I am Hermes; Messenger of the Gods."

Like Runako, Junpei commanded his Persona to attack. With a sharp kick, it was able to cleave through the Mayas, eliminating the remaining threats.

* * *

Friends made; Past bonds slowly fade

* * *

_**Entrance of Tartarus**_

"It seems that they have defeated the enemy," said Mitsuru to Minato as she continued to monitor the juniors.

A sigh of relief escaped from the bluenette. She was still worried about her sister and her friends; and with the appearance of the Shadows, her worries doubled. Many times, she wanted to rush to their aid, but remained because she wanted them to grow.

"I told you that they'll be fine," reassured Mitsuru, "You should place a little more trust in them."

"I suppose so…" replied Minato, a bitter smile appearing on her face, "But to tell the truth, I wanted my sister to be far away from this kind of danger as possible…"

"You really love your sister."

"I wonder… Sometimes I feel that I'm only taking care of her for the sake of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I promised her mother, my adoptive mother, to take care of her. When I remember that promise, I tend to wonder if I'm just doing it to fulfill that promise. Do I really love her? Or is it just self-satisfaction?"

A sad expression appeared on Minato's face when she said those words; leaving Mitsuru completely bewildered.

The red head did not expect Minato to have such complex feelings. Truth be told, when she read Minato's profile, she expected her to be a completely foul-mouthed and ill-tempered girl. But the first week with the bluenette changed her opinion of the girl. Especially when Minato selflessly threw herself in front of a Shadow to protect Runako.

And when the bluenette returned to the dorm, Mitsuru noticed that she was extremely quiet, attentive and perceptive; traits that the red head valued. In addition, she felt that the bluenette was a strong and mature person, someone who could be trusted.

Thus, to her, the bluenette's complicated feelings were a surprised.

"I guess even you have your limits," said Mitsuru.

Minato gave a small bitter smile in response:

"I'm not a god. So cracking under pressure is no surprise. I just hide it better than others."

Silence returned after Minato's words.

* * *

Gears of hearts slowly join; Its rust disappearing

* * *

_**April 27**__**th**__**, Gekkoukan High School**_

School had ended for the day; the sound of students heading out for their club activities or to go out into city and have could be heard throughout the school.

The juniors of the Iwatodai dorm were busy chatting amongst themselves, sans Minato, who was busy packing her bag and not included in the conversation.

The bluenette was not friends with them, despite living under the same roof. In fact, she was not friends with anyone in class. Unlike her sister, who had enough time to mingle and make friends.

Her infamy did not help matters.

When she finished packing her bag, Minato got up from her seat and was about to leave, until the door slid open and a certain red headed senior entered the classroom.

Mitsuru looked around and noticed the bluenette.

"Can I talk to you?" asked Mitsuru, "I have a favor to ask."

Minato nodded her head.

"To make a long story short, I want you to join the Student Council."

Everyone who heard Mitsuru's request was shocked. The students who remained in the classroom began to chat amongst themselves loudly, complaining and jeering.

"What? Why is she asking that delinquent?"

"How could some punk get a right to join the Student Council?"

"Blackmail! It has to be blackmail. She's threatening the President!"

Mitsuru was recently elected to be the Student Council President. Her charismatic and professional personality won her most of the school's trust; a sharp contrast to Minato, whose infamy lost her most of the school's trust.

"Why?" asked Minato, trying to ignore the other students' words.

"Truth be told, the workload was surprisingly heavy. Even for me. So I would like to have additional help, especially if an emergency were to occur," answered Mitsuru.

"No, I mean 'why me'?" Minato asked again.

"Because I trust you."

A short and simple answer. With enormous effects.

"She trusts her?! WHAT!?"

"I don't believe this… Is this a dream?"

"Blackmail! It has to be blackmail! She's threatening the President!"

The complaints and jeering of the students became louder at Mitsuru's words. Nobody would believe that the stern and majestic Kirijo Mitsuru would trust the 'violent' and 'vulgar' Arisato Minato. To most of the school, Minato was someone that should never be trusted.

"Unfortunately, I have to decline. As you can see," said Minato with a bitter smile, "I'm not one to be trusted. You'd best find someone else to aid you."

Before Mitsuru could say anything, Minato immediately exited the classroom; not wanting the commotion to grow bigger.

However, Minato's declining of Mitsuru's invitation to the Student Council caused the students to hate her even more.

"She said 'no'? Who does she think she is?"

"What a bitch. Acting all high and mighty like that."

"Kirijo-Senpai! I'll join the Student Council!"

"No me! I'm better than that blue haired skank."

It was a confusing matter. Accepting or declining, it would earn her the hatred of the student body. For accepting, she would be hated for 'trying to gain favors from the teachers'. For declining, she would be hated for 'acting like she's better than everyone'. No matter what she chose, Minato would be hated.

Knowing this, Mitsuru scolded the ones who were in the classroom in a stern and commanding tone:

"Shameful… Absolutely shameful… First you complained that she was offered to join the Student Council, and then you complained about her declining the offer. Worse, you accused her of blackmail and for acting out of line. When it was your pressuring that caused her to decline and run away. How could any of you be so contradicting?"

Silence filled the classroom. No one could argue with Mitsuru; especially not when she was angry. And as soon as she had said her piece, the red head left the room and returned to the Student Council Office.

After a few minutes, the students in the class went back to chatting among themselves. They were talking extremely loudly that one could hear what they were saying; things like 'that blue haired bitch', 'Arisato brainwashed the President' or 'I hope that slut dies'. Mitsuru's scolding made things worse; the students' hatred were strengthened.

The only people who did not participate in insulting Minato were the junior members of SEES.

"I can't believe what they're saying…" said Yukari uncomfortably.

"Yeah… Can't help but feel sorry for Arisato-San…" muttered Junpei, restraining himself from punching the other students.

"I wonder what's for dinner?" asked Runako, oblivious to the students' hatred towards her sister.

* * *

A broken heart; Beautiful tears

* * *

_**Nighttime, Iwatodai Dorm**_

The moment Mitsuru returned to the dorm, she immediately went up to the second floor; worried about Minato due to the incident earlier in the afternoon.

Standing in front of the blunette's room, Mitsuru knocked on the door.

"Arisato, are in there?" asked the red head, worry filling her voice.

There was no answer.

"Did she not return?" mumbled Mitsuru.

The red head knocked on the door again.

Still no answer.

Giving up, Mitsuru was about to leave when she heard the sound of the door unlocking. Behind the door that was opened slightly, was Minato, whose face was sticking out slightly.

"Is there something you need?" asked Minato, her voice cracking slightly.

Mitsuru stared at Minato's face. Though she had seen it quite a few times, this was the first time she had a proper look. She did not know why, but every time Mitsuru tried to look at Minato, she always had an urge to look away. But with only her face showing, albeit partially, Mitsuru did not feel that urge; allowing the red head to get a good long look.

It was quite a sight to behold. Flawless skin that required no makeup; Beautiful blue eyes that shined like the stars; Natural glossy lips. It was like looking at a doll.

- Was she always this… beautiful?

Mitsuru felt her chest tightened. Her cheeks tinged with red. She was charmed by Minato's beautiful face.

"Um… hello?" called Minato, causing Mitsuru to snap back to reality.

Mitsuru shook her head. She was surprised at her moment of daze.

"Sorry…" said Mitsuru, embarrassed, "I just wanted to check up on you."

There was a moment of silence before Mitsuru once again spoke:

"What happened earlier this afternoon… I wanted to apologize. I did not know that the students would react that way."

Silence returned once again for a moment; before being broken by Minato:

"There's no need to apologize. I'm used to people acting like them."

A bitter smile appeared on Minato's face.

Mitsuru's chest tightened once again. But this time, the feeling was completely different compared to the one she felt earlier. It irked her. Minato's acceptance to insults and humiliation. It irked her.

She wanted to say something, but something at the back of her mind was nagging at the red head. It told her that something was off. But the voice did not tell her what that something was. Mitsuru stared at Minato's face once again as it was the only thing that she could see of the bluenette.

Upon closer inspection, Mitsuru noticed that Minato's eyes were red and traces of dried tears trickled down her face.

Minato was crying. Despite the girl's strong front, she was crying. And she only stopped crying recently.

"Arisato…" said Mitsuru as she thought through her next course of action, "May I come in?"

Minato was surprised at Mitsuru's request. In fact, it was written all over her face.

"W-why?" asked Minato.

"Please, I need to confirm something."

"What… do you need to… confirm?"

"That's…"

Mitsuru was trying to find a reason to enter Minato's room, but was having difficulty as Minato's eyes seemed to be pleading her to stop asking for entrance. It was causing her resolve to falter.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"What are you guys doing?"

The voice belonged to Minato's sister, Runako.

"I'm just checking on Arisato," said Mitsuru, slightly annoyed at Runako's appearance, "The incident earlier this afternoon could cause a lot of mental stress."

Runako tilted her head in confusion:

"Huh? You're still hung up on that? Just let it go, Onee-Chan would be fine. Right?"

Minato nodded at Runako's words and gave a small smile.

It did not convince Mitsuru, but she did not want to pursue the matter with Runako around.

"In that case, I'll just leave it at that. Good night," said Mitsuru, keeping the image of Minato's tear filled face in her mind and left.

"What's with her?" pondered Runako, "Oh well, good night Onee-Chan."

After waving her sister good night, Minato closed the door and went back to her bed.

* * *

A tearful bird; The songless canary

* * *

Sad Minato is sad! Poor Minato, subjected to verbal abuse.

From this point onwards, all the exploration of Tartarus will be in special chapters. They will not have dates but I will state when they happened. For example, 'before the Priestess battle'.

Also, a funny little thing had occurred to me when I was writing this. Its 'Mother's day' and Hera the Goddess of Motherhood appeared in this chapter. Strange isn't it?

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Till next time.


	9. Empress: Inquiry of Arisato Minato II

Disclaimer: I do not own any series that appears here. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this. I get someone else to do it. Or make a game out of it. Or both.

Thank you ThePersonaficationOfNight and Guess for the reviews.

* * *

**Sub Chapter: Inquiry of Arisato Minato II**

* * *

Lately, Mitsuru had been thinking a lot about Minato. The bluenette's crying face had stuck in her mind ever since she saw it. And every time the red head thought about it, her chest tightens; as if the thought of Minato crying was making her feel guilty. It pained her, yet she could not find the time to talk with the bluenette.

Mitsuru's duty as the Student Council President prevents her from interacting with Minato freely. Especially since every student in the school seemed adamant in preventing their meeting. And she could talk about what had happened at the dorm due to the sensitivity of the situation; more often than not, the other members of the dorm are either sitting in the lounge where Minato was reading or they were busy chatting on the second floor, where Minato's room was located. It almost felt like someone wished to prevent them from discussing about that topic.

In addition, Mitsuru could not bring herself to mention said topic in the morning. Considering how badly Minato was treated in school, dampening the bluenette's spirits that early in the day felt like the equivalent of kicking a box of adorable puppies. So, despite the fact that the two would definitely be alone in the morning, there was no chatting among the two.

* * *

A few days had passed…

* * *

_**May 1**__**st**__**, Gekkoukan High School**_

It was a lucky chance. That was the only way to call it. A lucky chance.

Mitsuru was wandering around the school during lunchtime, wanting to get a breath of fresh air. That was when saw Minato, eating lunch alone, at the back of the school.

It was just an alley that very few people would come across. So the only people who would be there were those who had done it out of a whim or for certain reasons.

Mitsuru was one of the former. She honestly did not expect Minato to be sitting there, alone and eating her lunch. It was quite a sad sight.

One would think that Minato was just trying to stay away from the students who kept bad-mouthing her. But there was the fact that she had a sister, who was nowhere to be seen. Said sister was actually back at the classroom, talking and laughing with her friends happily; oblivious to the fact that Minato was alone. No one was there by Minato's side. No friends; not even her family. Completely alone.

Mitsuru was quite taken back. In fact, she wanted to cry.

"Arisato," said Mitsuru, her voice cracking, as she walked towards the bluenette.

Minato turned to the red head's direction and swallowed whatever food she had in her mouth before talking.

"Kirijo? What are you doing here?"

"I was just walking around the school…"

"I see…"

Silence filled the air for a few seconds before Mitsuru continued:

"Do you always come here to have your lunch?"

"Yes… Its quiet and nobody ever comes around… It's the only place where I could get away from my… reputation…"

When she said those words, a bitter smile rose from Minato's face.

Oh, how Mitsuru hated that smile. It pained her to see Minato's beautiful face ruined through showing such a painful expression.

Shaking her head, Mitsuru decided to get straight to the topic she had wanted to discuss with Minato for a long time.

"Arisato, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…"

An instant answer.

- Well, it has been a few days…

However, Mitsuru was not satisfied. A voice at the back of her head nagged at her to keep pushing for a proper answer.

"You're lying; you were crying that day."

Minato shook her head and sighed.

"I'm not lying. I really am fine. And to say that I was lying, do you have proof that I was crying?"

Mitsuru did not say anything. She was surprised by Minato's defense.

- Does she not want anyone to find out she was crying?

- Or was that my imagination…?

Mitsuru shook her head at the thought. She knew that it was not her imagination; that Minato was crying.

- To say that she's not lying… That means that she's fine NOW. That means…

"How were you feeling that day?" asked a still determined Mitsuru.

"Nothing new…"

A different but instant answer.

Though it sounded like Minato practiced them, Mitsuru was convinced that Minato was affected by the events on the day she asked her to join the Student Council.

- Normally she would say 'It's fine'. But now it's 'nothing new'.

- What does 'nothing new' mean?

Thinking through the new information she had just gained, Mitsuru slowly became horrified. Her chest started to tighten a lot; she felt like crying and give the bluenette a hug.

Mitsuru had realized, that Minato had cried in sadness so often, that it was 'nothing new'.

'For how long?' Mitsuru wondered, 'How long must one cry in order for it to be 'nothing new'?'

Alone in sadness.

Alone in pain.

Alone in life.

Just alone.

Mitsuru wanted to say something, but no words would come out. She wanted to comfort the bluenette, but did not know how. This frustrated Mitsuru.

"It's time to go…"

With those words, Minato suddenly stood up.

"What?" asked Mitsuru in a surprise.

"Lunch time is over. It's time for us to return to class."

Mitsuru took out her cell phone and checked the time. Indeed, it was time to return to class.

Without another word, Minato left the area, leaving Mitsuru behind.

"Looks like she does not wish to talk about that incident…"

Shaking her head, Mitsuru turned and walked back to class. While she walking, the red head realized something.

"How did she know the time? There wasn't a clock around and she didn't even take out her phone…"

It was a minor and trivial thing, but to Mitsuru, it only caused her curiosity over Minato to grow even bigger.

* * *

Closed hearts; Opened hearts

* * *

_**After School, Gekkoukan High School**_

Mitsuru decided to leave school early that day; still worried about Minato.

As she made her way to the school entrance, Mitsuru heard quite a number of unsavory rumors from the students that were still around. But the red head paid them no heed; the troubles of Minato were more important.

* * *

_**Iwatodai Dorm**_

The red head made her way to the second floor the moment she entered the dorm. She knew that the others would not be back so early; the question was whether Minato was in her room or not. The bluenette was rarely in the lounge and there were times when she was home later than everyone else. Mitsuru was still wondering where she goes to during those times.

Mitsuru knocked on Minato's door and hoped that the bluenette was inside her room.

Lady luck smiled upon the red head.

The door opened slightly, showing only half of Minato's beautiful face.

"Can I help you?" asked Minato quietly.

Mitsuru stayed quiet for a short while, studying what the other girl's face could offer her.

It was different compared to the other day where Minato's face was covered with dried tears and having slightly swollen eyes. This time, her face was clean and her eyes showed her sapphire pupils that shined like the stars.

Mitsuru's face went slightly red and her chest started to tightened.

"Hello?" called Minato, pulling Mitsuru back to reality.

"Ah, sorry," said Mitsuru, slightly embarrassed, "I'm just here to see how you were doing."

Minato gave a quiet nod and asked:

"Is that all?"

There was a moment of silence before Mitsuru decided to ask the request she wanted to the other day.

"May I come in?"

There was another moment of silence. This time, it lasted a lot longer. After a few minutes, Minato finally broke the silence.

"May I ask why?"

Truth be told, Mitsuru had no idea why she wanted to enter Minato's room. She just felt like she had to; her mind nagging at her to enter. However, she needed to think of a reason to enter.

"I…" mumbled Mitsuru, thinking of a reason, "I wish to talk to you about what happened the other day… In private."

There was another brief moment of silence before Minato opened her door completely, indicating that Mitsuru was allowed to enter.

When she entered the room, Mitsuru took a good around. Truth be told, it was not the first time she was in Minato's room. The last visit was when the bluenette was sent to the hospital and her room was left open.

It was a room that did not have much change when compared to the vacant rooms. The only differences being the fact that the table had a pile of books stacked on them and the room's curtains being changed with a completely black fabric that allowed no light to enter the room. It was room that gave off a feeling of gloom.

Each room had the same design, thus the other residents tend to decorate their rooms with their own unique preference. Mitsuru herself having a room that looked like a hotel suite; fitting her elegant lady image.

So what does this say about Minato, who was living in a room that looked like a prison cell?

It was depressing.

It was gloomy.

It was sad.

"You don't decorate much, do you Arisato?" asked Mitsuru, her chest tightening at the sight.

"This much is enough for me…" said Minato with a bitter smile, "I can't afford having stuff toys or posters like Runako."

Mitsuru was confused at Minato's words; after all, the bluenette was under a scholarship which helped pay for her education and reward an additional 100000 yen per month.

"What do you mean? Does all your money go to your sister?"

"Close, I send it over to our grandfather," replied Minato, "I only set some of them aside for living expenses and to buy some books to read. The rest gets sent to grandfather…"

"Why?"

"Appreciation for taking care of me and Runako. He took care of us when none of our relatives would take us in, so I had to do at least this much."

"I see, but is sending him that much money necessary?"

"It's the least I could do… there isn't much time left…"

Mitsuru did not say anything. She knew what Minato meant and let the matter rest. It was best to let Minato do as she pleased.

"In any case, you wanted to talk about what had happened the other day?" asked Minato.

"Ah, yes," said Mitsuru, pulling away from her previous thoughts, "First, are you sure you do not wish to join the Student Council?"

"You already knew what the whole school thinks of me," replied Minato with a bitter smile, "If I were to join, there will be never ending complaints. It's best for everyone that I do not join."

Mitsuru frowned at Minato's answer. She thought that it was cruel to deny Minato a chance to prove herself just because the school did not like her. At the same time, she had to agree that Minato's joining the Student Council might lead to horrible consequences.

"If that's your final answer, then I will not ask further."

Mitsuru then turned to the door:

"One more thing, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Those two words confirmed Mitsuru's suspicions; Minato was hiding her feelings of pain. Not knowing what else to do, Mitsuru left the room; thinking of ways to get Minato to open up.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Mitsuru, Minato held a gentle smile when she left. The reason was because of a powerful yet gentle voice that whispered in her head.

"Thou art I; And I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond. Thy path illuminates still brighter. Thou shalt be blessed with allies under the Empress Arcana…"

A strong surge of power flowed within Minato's body when the voice had finished talking. Slowly, the power centered to Minato's chest, giving off a warm and comfortable feeling.

"Trust… huh…" mumbled Minato to herself with a smile.

* * *

Caring thoughts; A gentle smile

* * *

_The Empress_: Rank 1

* * *

And so begins the first Social Link. I originally wanted to do it much later, but I decided to start it earlier. Funny how the Social Link that started the latest was the first one to begin. Expect a lot of friendship moments between Minato and Mitsuru.

And no, I'm not shipping Minato and Mitsuru together.

Sorry about it being short, I was too busy slacking. I blame the procrastination syndrome. Either way, I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter.

'Til next time.


	10. Chapter 6: Battle between Priestesses

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series that appeared here. But if I have the money, I would have bought the rights. But I don't. So I don't own anything.

Thank you ThePersonaficationOfNight, diaaan, NekoGurl98 and Guess for the reviews.

As for Guess, here is an answer for your review: She has more of a role later in the story. But because Minato is the main character, Runako doesn't get much focus for now.

Now, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Battles between Priestesses**

* * *

_**Velvet Room**_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," said Igor in the usual welcoming tone.

"It seems you've managed to develop a bond with an acquaintance of yours. Currently, it's small. But overtime, it will grow into something that can never be broken."

Minato could only nod at Igor's word stoically; the girl having a hard time believing the old man's words.

As if reading her mind, Igor chuckled:

"Do not worry, we in the Velvet Room do not lie to our guests. Everything that is said here can be treated as the truth. The only thing you have to worry about is developing your bonds. Everything has its own pace in the flow of time."

The bluenette stayed silent, slowly nodding off.

"One last thing before you go; The small bond you've obtained has granted you access to more Personas under the Empress Arcana. Oh, but I supposed they are called 'Servants' now. Please check through the compendium when you have the time."

Minato gave a small nod in affirmation before closing her eyes, drifting into slumber.

"Until we meet again, my dear guest. Farewell."

* * *

Wheels turn; Her heart gains glow

* * *

Let us turn back the clock; to the time when Mitsuru and Minato were chatting back at the dorm. During that time, the juniors were making their way to the hospital to visit Akihiko, who was having a checkup for his injury.

* * *

_**May 1**__**st**__**, Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**_

"What're you guys doing here?" asked a surprised Akihiko when he saw the trio.

The juniors did not answer immediately as they were intimidated by Akihiko's other visitor; a tall young man wearing a knitted cap, a trench coat and a simple pair of trousers. The man had an intimidating face and a presence to match.

"W-we came to see you," replied Runako, obviously startled at the sight of the man in the trench coat.

"I'm just for a checkup," said Akihiko awkwardly, he was not expecting that many people to come and visit him.

"Is that it Aki?" the tall young man finally spoke. It was a smooth yet deep voice that held quite an impression.

"Yeah, thanks."

The young man clicked his tongue and walked towards the door, "I don't time for this shit," he said gruffly, leaving the room.

"W-who was that?" asked Junpei hesitantly.

"A friend from school… sort of," replied Akihiko, "You know how there was an increase in the number of victims for Apathy Syndrome?"

The trio nodded at Akihiko's words.

"Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it."

The trio nodded again at Akihiko's words. But this time, a question popped into their heads; 'Why does Akihiko know someone like that?'

"Anyway, Junpei, did you bring what I asked you to?" asked Akihiko, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Huh? Of course, Senpai," replied Junpei with a stupid grin on his face.

The cap wearing boy passed Akihiko a file that held a class roster.

"Thanks, well let's go," said Akihiko as he tests his arm with a punch in the air.

Worried, Junpei told the senior not to do something like that as he was still injured.

"It's nothing," shrugged off Akihiko as he continued moving his arm, "I've wasted enough time already, I need to get back to training."

"By the way Senpai, why boxing?" asked Yukari.

"You mean, why I chose that sport?" clarified Akihiko before answering, "Well… it's not the sport itself I like; I just wanted to learn how to fight."

The young man stopped moving his arm and looked away before continuing, "I know what it's like to feel powerless… And I don't want to feel that way again. Besides, I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."

Akihiko's last sentence held a strong amount of confidence that somehow gave energy to the juniors, giving them morale.

"That's an interesting way to look at it," said Junpei , folding his arms and nodding his head as if he understood something, "Ya know, I'm into games too…"

"Yeah, VIDEO games," retorted Yukari, sighing at Junpei's stupidity.

Junpei, pretending to be offended, decided to say something in defense, "Oh, I like playing fighting games too."

Ignoring Junpei's words, the group left the hospital.

* * *

False smiles; False bonds

* * *

_**May 2**__**nd**__**, Dark Hour, Minato's Room**_

"_How've you been?_" asked an unknown voice.

Minato slowly got off her bed drowsily. She felt no hostility from the owner of the voice, in fact, she felt the owner to be familiar. The bluenette turned to face the mysterious person and was a little surprised when she saw who it was.

Though his hair was no longer the same shade of black, he still wore the same prisoner uniform. It was the young boy Minato had met on separate occasions, only this time, his hair was completely blond.

"_Surprised?_" asked the boy with a chuckle, "_I was the surprised too. To think my hair that was as dark as the night would become the exact opposite; bright as the sun._"

"What happened?" asked Minato, the surprise waking her up completely.

"_Your power was growing. And as it grows, it affects me,_" replied the boy cheerfully, "_It's not a bad thing, really. I seem to be gaining a more positive appearance. Even now, I can feel the changes to my body; and it won't be long until I look like a completely different person_."

"Aren't you worried?"

"_Of course not, it just means we're getting closer._"

The boy gave a bright cheery smile, one that was so bright, it made Minato smile as well.

"_That's a good smile. One with nothing but pure happiness. I hope you'll wear it more often."_

"I'll try…" replied Minato.

"_Now, on to the reason as to why I'm here. In one week, _THEY_ will appear. Be careful, they are much more powerful compared to the first one,_" said the blond boy, "_And this time, you're on your own._"

Sensing the boy's kindness and worry over her, Minato nodded with a small smile. Suddenly, a powerful yet gentle voice whispered in her mind.

"Thou art I… I am thou… Thou hast established a new bond. Thy path illuminates brighter. Thou shalt be blessed with allies under the Death Arcana…"

A strong surge of power flowed within Minato's body when the voice had finished talking. Slowly, the power centered to Minato's chest, giving off a warm and comfortable feeling."

"Again…" mumbled Minato.

"I hope our bond will help you get through this ordeal easily," said the boy as if he too had heard the voice, "I will come visit you again when it is all over."

As soon as the young boy vanishes, Minato slowly fell back into slumber.

* * *

Guided path; A shining destination

* * *

_**May 9**__**th**__**, Dark Hour, Command Room**_

Time had slowly passed and the week warned by the young boy had arrived. In the command room was Mitsuru, who was using her powers to search the city for Shadows.

Minato had told her about the meeting with the young boy, though she left out the fact ABOUT the young boy. Minato did not know why she did not mention him, but she felt that she should keep it a secret for the moment. In any case, Mitsuru decided to take Minato's warning to heart.

"You're still at it?" asked Akihiko who had just entered the room.

"Yeah, you never know when the enemy might appear," replied Mitsuru, "Not to mention Arisato's warning."

"The one from her dream? No offense, but I'm having a little difficulty believing that some dream could tell her when Shadows will attack."

"I don't blame your skepticism; it does sound a little farfetched… But I have reasons to believe her words."

"And that would be?"

Mitsuru stayed silent. She did not want to say anything that might cause trouble for Minato; considering the problems the bluenette was going through, the last thing she needs is pity. At least, that was what Mitsuru thought.

"Uh… By the way, I though you couldn't scan outside Tartarus?" asked Akihiko, trying to change the subject.

"To be honest, I lack the power…" replied Mitsuru, a little relief about Akihiko's consideration, "Maybe this the best Penthesilea could do in terms of data gathering. Although, the power of Persona seems much broader than I thought."

"Yeah, having multiple Personas, being able to switch them whenever she likes and they can even talk," said Akihiko as he listed off Minato's abilities, "How strong do ya' think she could get?"

"She said that her power grants 'infinite possibilities'. Or at least, that was what the man in her dreams said."

"It all comes back to her dreams, huh? What did Ikutsuki-San say about them?"

"There was a problem with that; he couldn't read the book. Well, more like the words aren't even there to him. Same goes for the symbols."

"What symbols?" asked Akihiko.

"The ones on Arisato's hands," replied Mitsuru, "You should've seen them plenty of times."

"Really? Must've missed them…" muttered Akihiko.

The comment confused Mitsuru but her Persona's radar detected a Shadow.

"A Shadow!"

"You serious?!" asked Akihiko in surprised, "You've actually found one?!"

"Something's wrong, the readings' too big. Could this be what Arisato was talking about?"

"You think it's one of 'those'?"

"It must be. Akihiko, wake up the others!"

"No need to tell me twice!"

* * *

_A few minutes later_

* * *

The juniors entered the room, slightly panicked due to the emergency; with the exception of Minato, who was already prepared for an attack.

"Where is it? I'll rip it a new one!" exclaimed Junpei, the boy looking like he was ready to bounce off the walls.

"We've detected a Shadow outside Tartarus," explained Mitsuru, "We don't know for sure, but we think it's another big one. We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible."

Pausing for a few seconds to allow the others to digest the information, Mitsuru then continued, "Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists. But, if half the city is destroyed, there will be panic. That must be avoided at all cost."

"Got it, leave it to me!" shouted Junpei excitedly, "I'll kick some major Shadow ass!"

Seeing as he did not seemed to understand the consequences if they failed, Yukari could only sigh at Junpei's excitement.

"Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman," ordered Mitsuru.

The order did not sit well with Akihiko, who was eager to join the juniors in the fight, causing the senior to complain, "What?! Are you kidding?! I'm going!"

"You still need to recover. You'll just be a hindrance."

"But-"

"They'll fare better than you, in your current state. Have faith in them; their ready."

Akihiko turned quiet, unable to argue back. He knew that despite his injuries were almost healed; he can't go fight without holding the other fighters back. Reluctant, Akihiko gave in to Mitsuru's demands.

"Relax! I've got it covered!" said Junpei, trying to assure Akihiko.

Unfortunately, this only made Akihiko worry even more. Turning to Minato, he told the bluenette that she was in charge.

"Her again…? I know her Servants are pretty powerful, but…"

"It's more of the fact that she could remain calm compared to you," retorted Akihiko.

This wound Junpei's pride a little. Causing him to say something that he would regret in a few seconds, "Even when I'm the only guy in the group…"

"Whether one is a boy or a girl doesn't factor into it," said Mitsuru with a small smile that sent chills down Junpei's spine, "The responsibility falls to those who have the gift. And let me add, if you say or do anything condescending or demeaning to her…"

"Oh no no no no no!" said Junpei in a panic, frightened at Mitsuru's tone and threatening aura, "It's not like I look down on her or anything…"

An awkward laugh followed when Junpei had finished talking.

"Kirijo, where's the location?" asked Minato, ignoring the previous conversations.

"It's at the station. The four of you better head there immediately, I'll catch up after I've finished my preparations," answered Mitsuru.

Nodding at Mitsuru's order, Minato turned towards the door and left.

"Woah… she wrapped the whole thing up pretty quick…" said Yukari in awe.

* * *

Curtain rises: The Emperor enters the stage

* * *

_**Iwatodai Train Station**_

The juniors had been waiting for quite a while since they had arrived at the station. But Mitsuru was nowhere to be seen, causing Yukari to get impatient.

"Where is she?" asked the brunette.

Junpei took sip from a drink he had brought with him and said, "She'll be here soon, don't worry."

Giving Junpei a look that seemed to say 'right…' in a sarcastic way, Yukari looked up at the sky.

"There's a full moon tonight… But, it looks even creepier during the Dark Hour…"

"Lunacy…" mumbled Minato.

"What was that?" asked Yukari, curiously.

"It is said that the moon's cycle results in the changes of the human mind… In the past, it was said that just looking at the moon would cause a person to go crazy."

"A history lesson…?" groaned Junpei, who was tired from having to listen to lectures in school, "Don't we learn enough of that at school?"

"It's actually science. In any case, take heed of the full moon. Dangers may arise from them."

Not understanding what the bluenette was talking about, the other juniors were about to clarify before Mitsuru arrived, riding on a motorcycle.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said the red head, taking off her helmet.

"A motorcycle?" questioned Yukari.

Ignoring Yukari's question, Mitsuru started explaining the situation, "Tonight, I'll be providing support from here, everything else is the same. The Shadow is currently located inside the monorail, not far from the station. To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

This raised some concerns from the juniors, with the exception of Minato and Yukari, prompting Runako to ask, "Isn't that dangerous? I mean, with the high voltage and all that…?"

"Don't worry; no electric equipment is operable during the Dark Hour, including the monorails," assured Mitsuru.

"But, your bike…"

"It's special," the red head said with a smile, "Now, if circumstances changes, I'll notify you immediately. Let's get started."

Nodding in affirmation, the juniors ran into the station.

* * *

_**Monorail**_

"Can all of you hear me?" asked Mitsuru using her Persona's powers.

"Yes, I can hear you clearly," replied Yukari, "We just got here, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary…"

"The readings are definitely coming from the monorail. Proceed with caution and stay together. And that means: listening Arisato, understand Iori?"

"Oh, come on!" complained Junpei, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, all right!"

The comment caused Yukari and Runako to laughed, while Minato climbed into the train.

"Hurry up, we need to find the Shadow as soon as possible," said Minato.

Tragic Emperor; Tearful Emperor

Within the cabin were a few coffins standing around where the passengers were supposed to stand.

"This poor stiff must be a passenger…" muttered Junpei while poking one of the coffins, "He's been Transmogged, huh…?"

"So… guys like him don't remember a thing?" asked Runako rhetorically.

Suddenly, the door that the juniors entered from closed shut, locking them inside the train.

"What's wrong?" asked Mitsuru, "What happened?!"

"It looks like we're trapped inside," replied Yukari.

"It must be the Shadow; It knows you're there. Be ready for anything! Proceed with extreme caution!"

"Umu! Understood," replied Minato.

"Umu?" asked Yukari, "Did she just say 'Umu'?"

"That's the first time I've heard her say that," replied Runako.

"You three, we need to start moving" said Minato, "Let's hurry!"

Juniors are running…

"What the heck?!" said Junpei in an annoyed tone, "I don't see any Shadows…"

"It's so quiet it's creepy…" muttered Yukari.

As soon as she said those words, a Shadow dropped down from the ceiling, surprising the juniors. The Shadow looked like a floating rag that was wearing a transparent crown with a book in it.

"There it is!" shouted Runako, stating the obvious.

The group prepared for battle, but the Shadow instead turned around and escaped into the next room.

"Hey, get back here!" shouted Junpei as he and Runako started chasing it, but was held back by Minato before they could go any further.

"Wait, it could be an ambush," said Minato, calmly.

"But, if we don't go after it, we're gonna lose it!" argued Junpei, trying to free himself from Minato's grip, which was surprisingly strong despite her thin frame.

"She's right Iori, the enemy was acting strangely," said Mitsuru, "It would be foolish to blindly chase after it."

"But-"

"Umu, there's another thing," interrupted Minato, "To shut the doors in the train when it's not supposed to indicates that a powerful Shadow has taken control of it. In short, they plan to separate us to make taking us down easier."

Minato's explanation caused Junpei and Runako to stop struggling. It made sense, even if it was not a trap, it does not change the fact that an extremely powerful Shadow was on board. And considering that they were not too experienced in fighting Shadows yet, they could not afford to separate.

"All right…" muttered Junpei, irritated that he could not show off, "Man, how could you stay so calm…"

"As expected of Onee-Chan," praised Runako, "You could see through anything!"

"I'll admit, I did not think of that…" said Mitsuru, "If what you said is true, then you should hurry. We don't know when the Shadow might start rampaging."

Nodding in affirmation, the juniors entered the next cabin; only find a group of Shadows waiting for them.

A very large group.

The sight stunned Junpei and Runako, "Glad we didn't run off…" said Runako, picking her jaw off the floor.

"Medusa!" shouted Minato as she shot her Evoker at her head.

As soon as the purple haired beauty appeared, she kicked the Shadows that were in front of the group. Thanks to her long legs, Medusa managed to sweep off quite a number of Shadows.

"Oh YEAH!" exclaimed Junpei, following Minato's action and summoning his Persona, "Hermes!"

The summoned mechanical being plowed through the Shadows, combined with Medusa's kicks, created a pathway for the juniors to run through.

"Umu, don't bother going after all of them!" ordered Minato as they plowed through, "Take down the ones that matter and run!"

With swords in hand, Minato and Junpei both cut through the Shadows that came in their way, with Runako and Yukari taking care of the enemies at the back so as not to be chased. However, the enemy numbers began to grow larger and larger; slowly overwhelming the group.

"Master, what should we do?" asked Medusa, trying to hold the enemy back.

Minato stayed silent, it was unknown if she was too busy concentrating on the fight or thinking or a strategy. After a few minutes of fighting, Minato was about to suggest an idea until the train started to move.

"Whoa, what the?!" shouted Junpei in a panick, "Why're we moving?"

"It seems Arisato's theory was right," said Mitsuru, "The enemy has taken control of the monorail."

"What're we gonna do?!" asked Runako as she dodges an enemy strike.

Slowly, the train picked up its pace, causing most of the group to panic.

"This isn't good…" said Runako, stating the obvious.

"If we can't stop that thing," said Mitsuru in a very worried tone, "it'll crash into another train."

"WHAT?!" shouted Yukari, "Oh god! What are we gonna do?!"

"Calm down and listen, I sense a powerful presence in the front car. That must be the one we're after. You'll have to defeat it to stop the train! Arisato, you know what to do."

Minato nodded, "Umu, understood, we need to get there even if the enemy isn't there anyway. We need to turn on the brakes."

"But, don't we need to deal with these guys first?" asked Yukari, now struggling to hold the enemy back.

"Caesar!" shouted Minato, firing her evoker.

Next to Medusa, appeared a young blond woman who had her hair tied in a bun. She was wearing a red one piece dress that reached near her ankles. The front bottom side of the dress was transparent, showing her underwear and with the back a small hole that showed her backside. The woman was also wearing greaves.

The most eye-catching thing of all was the sword the woman was carrying. It was very long and had a weird design. Compared to the woman's petite frame, the sword seemed to be much too long and heavy for her to carry.

Despite the tension, the woman ignored the enemies and turned towards Minato and asked, "I ask of thee, art thou mine Master?"

Due to being too busy fighting the Shadows, Minato could only give a small nod before resuming the fight.

"Umu, thine beauty… thine graceful aura… Truly a master worthy of mine power. If thou were in red, I would beseech thy hand without question," said the woman, ignoring the threats, "But, I doth think this be a good place to converse. Shalt I aid thee in battle, praetor?"

"That is why I summoned you," replied Minato, slowly losing ground, "Bring out the theater!"

The woman smile, "Umu, to beseech for the theater without hesitation, this be a serious situation. Very well, I shalt summon the theater!"

Unknown to anyone as to how she did it, the woman pulled out a rose, "I, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, call for the grand stage!"

Throwing the rose up in the air, the woman then lunged towards the Shadows with inhuman speed and continued her speech, "Behold mine glory! Hear the thunderous applause!" the woman then released a series of slashes in quick succession, felling a few Shadows.

"Sit down and praise… Mine Golden Theater!" shouted the woman in an ecstatic tone as she continued to unleash another barrage of slashes, "Kingdom of Heaven and Hell! Nero's Heaven, reconstructed!"

When she had finished her attacks, the woman planted her sword to the ground. A bright flash exploded out of nowhere and when it subsided, the surroundings that was once a train carriage turned into a giant theater, with the group standing in the centre; which is the stage.

As if on cue, the woman spoke as the rose she threw finally landed on the floor, "Hither where the limelight shines! Aestus Domus Aurea!"

The juniors, with the exception of Minato, were in awe. The theater was huge and beautiful, like the places one could only see on TV or movies. They also noticed that the theater granted them more room to move around in and somehow rejuvenated them. In fact, they felt like they were more powerful than before they started fighting.

"Great work, Nero," praised Minato, "Now, open a way towards the front car."

"Quite a slave driver, Praetor," said Nero with a chuckle, "but considering our situation, I shalt take this in stride."

When she had finished saying her piece, Nero raised her hand and faced it towards a random direction. This caused a door to appear.

Without hesitation, Minato opened the door and entered, with the others following suit. Behind the door was the train car. Or rather, the car next to the one they were on.

"How…?" questioned Yukari.

"We'll talk later, let's go!" said Minato, running towards the door on the other side of the carriage.

* * *

Set stage; the two wives

* * *

After a short amount of running, the group managed to arrive at the front car of the train. Though they expected a Shadow to be there, they were surprised at what they saw. A giant masked woman, wearing only a piece of cloth, was sitting at the end of the car. It was without a doubt, a Shadow. Half its skin was literally white and the other black. On its breast were the letters B and J. The woman's hair was actually paper with strange symbols written on them, giving off the impression that they were scriptures. The way the woman was sitting made her look like she was just lazing around, not wanting to do anything.

"What the hell…? Is this the friggin' boss?!" asked a shocked Junpei.

"Hurry!" warned Mitsuru, "We don't have much time left!"

"This be an annoying foe," said Nero, preparing to attack, "I sense great power within her. Be wary Praetor!"

Nodding at Nero's warning, the group prepared their Evokers and weapons and began attacking.

"Iori, Runako, Takeba; the three of you take the left flank and we'll take the right," ordered Minato as they made their way to the Shadow, "Dodge any attacks that come in your way and attack as much as you can. We have no time to lose!"

As soon as Minato issued the order, the trio immediately ran towards the Shadow's right and attack. Junpei, using his sword, sliced through the Shadow's legs; this caused it to moan in pain. Suddenly, a group of Shadow appeared from the ceiling and attacked the trio.

"What the…? Where did they come from?" asked Yukari, firing an arrow at one of the enemy.

"The Shadow is summon them," answered Mitsuru, "Defeat it quickly, or you'll be overwhelmed."

"Ugh, what a pain," complained Runako as she ran towards the giant Shadow. Firing her Evoker, Runako summoned her Persona and had it use a Zio spell. Though it was struck with lightning, it did not flinch and did not appear to have taken any damage. "It didn't work?!" said Runako in shock.

"I've finished analyzing the enemy," said Mitsuru, "It's under the Priestess Arcana and seemed to resist electric and ice attacks."

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Runako gripped her naginata and attack the Priestess physically.

Meanwhile, Minato and her Servants were also having a difficult time. The Shadow did not even allow them to go near it and summoned a large group of Shadows to bar their path.

"Nero! Can you summon the theater again?" asked Minato as she sliced through the Shadows.

"Unfortunately Praetor, I could not," answered Nero, "I need to wait for ten minutes before summoning the theater once more."

Sighing in frustration, Minato continued fighting while thinking about her next move.

"Master," called Medusa, "I could use Cybele and finish them off quickly."

"No, it would affect the others," declined Minato, "We can't risk getting them caught in the crossfire."

Nodding at Minato's decision, Medusa continued fighting, leaving Minato to her thoughts. It was troubling, the enemy was resistant to ice and electricity and in addition, it kept summoning Shadows to aid it and hinder Minato's path. Not to mention that they were running low on time, rushing Minato's thoughts.

"Kyaa!" screamed a familiar voice. It belonged to Runako, who was almost hit by a spear of ice. Minato looked for the source of the spear and found that the Priestess Shadow had summoned a volley of ice spears and is throwing them at the other group.

"Runako!" shouted Minato, panic filling her voice as she ran towards her sister. But was stopped by the weaker Shadows.

Runako could barely dodge the Shadow's attacks and could not get help from Yukari or Junpei because they were being surrounded by Shadows. In short, the Priestess was trying to isolated the group and take them down one by one. Soon, Runako lost room to and could only wait for one of the ice spears to finish her off.

When she closed her eyes, she heard a sickeningly squishing sound, like flesh was being torn, along with the sound of bones cracking. However, Runako felt no pain; opening her eyes, she saw something that made her legs weak.

Minato managed to break through the enemies' formation and shield her from the attack. The spears were protruding through her body, with one on her right arm, three on her left leg and quite a number of small ice spears on her main body. This sight made everyone in the room cringed.

"Are… you all right…?" asked Minato, not giving her situation any concern.

Runako could only nod her head, too shock to say anything.

"Umu, good…" said the bluenette before turning around and facing the Priestess. A voice echoed in her mind, telling her to call whatever that was talking in her head. It is unknown if she was hallucinating due to the pain or it was a genuine voice. Regardless, Minato pointed her Evoker to her head and pulled the trigger.

"TOMAMO!" shouted Minato, summoning a woman with pink hair.

The woman was wearing a kimono with detached sleeves. The neckline of the kimono barely covered her breasts; making one wonder how it did not slip off. She was also wearing a pair of zori that looked like platform shoes; along with thighhighs. The woman's hair was tied with twin tails and had a color similar to Sakura. The most eye-catching sight of all was that the woman had fox ears and a tail.

"You've finally called Master!" said the woman known as Tomamo with a happy smile, "I'll take care of this quickly so we can talk as much as we want later!"

Tomamo ran towards the other two servants and joined them in battle.

"Umu? Is that not Caster? I hath not seen thee in a long time," said Nero in a nostalgic tone.

"Saber!" cried Tomamo, "You've been summoned too…? So much for having Master all to myself…"

The last sentence was said at too soft a whisper that the other Servants did not hear it.

"Talk later, we need to take that Shadow down now," ordered Medusa, "We're running out of time."

Nodding her head, Tomamo turned to face the Shadow and said, "I'll take this down in one strike!" She then took out several paper charms and threw them at the Shadow. "Thunder, Fire, Earth… Roar in the name of the Heavens and strike down whoever stands in my path…"

After reciting those words, the paper charms glowed brightly and clouds gathered above the Shadow. Not one to hold back, the Shadow tried to attack Tomamo, but had its attacks blocked by Medusa and Nero.

"I call forth Raijin; I call forth Fuujin; Beat your drums and smite those who oppose you; Open your bag of infinity and blow away those who oppose you; Strike! Shippuu Raisenbu!"

When she had finished her incantation, the clouds turned darker and darker. A strong gust of wind blew towards the Shadow and due to the speed; struck the Shadow like a cannon. Then, a giant bolt of lightning struck the Shadow and exploded. When the dust cleared, the Shadow was nowhere to be seen, along with the other smaller Shadows; signaling its defeat.

"W-we did it!" exclaimed Junpei, pumping his fists in the air.

"But, we're still moving…" said Yukari worriedly.

"We're going too fast!" shouted Runako, finally recovering from her shock, "We have to put on the brakes or else…!"

"What are you waiting for?!" yelled Mitsuru, "There's a train up ahead!"

True enough, a train could be seen up ahead. But the trio was panicking so hard that could not think about their next step. Soon, the train got closer and closer; leading them to think that they were going to die. But a screeching sound could be heard and in a few seconds, the train had stopped moving.

The trio looked around and realized that they had not crashed and still alive.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Mitsuru.

"Everyone… is fine…" replied Minato who came out of the driver's cabin, supported by her Servants. Her body was badly battered compared to the others, blood was trickling from her wounds and some of her bones were broken, leaving her unable to even stand on her own.

"Arisato-San," cried Yukari, running towards the bluenette.

"Arisato, are you alright?!" asked Mitsuru, a worried and panicked tone filled her voice.

"Don't… worry…" said Minato, before passing out from her wounds.

* * *

Friends forged; Eternal gratitude

* * *

_The Empress_: Rank 1

_Death_: Rank 3

* * *

This took a while to write. I'm not that good at battle scenes so I apologize for the poor writing during those segments. So, two new Servants have joined the scene. And they're from Fate/Extra, a fun game in its own right. Expect Garcher to appear. Yes, I'm not even hiding it.

So, Death is changing his appearance. Expect the change to continue for a while. To be honest, I did not originally plan for him to have an appearance change. But then I was researching for Servants to give Minato and then I came up with an idea. Guess who's gonna appear?

And yes, the Death Arcana ranks up really fast. It's one of the few Arcanas that Minato can easily rank up. Don't expect anyone TOO powerful though.

So, I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you next time.

Until next time…


	11. Bio - Caesar

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series that appears here.

* * *

**Name: **Caesar

**Master:** Arisato Minato

**Class:** Saber

**Arcana:** Empress

**True Name:** Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

**Sex: **Female

**Title:** The Whore of Babylon

**Origin:** Fate/Extra

* * *

_**Stats**__**:**_

**Strength:** _A_

**Endurance:** _B_

**Agility:** _A_

**Mana:** _EX_

**Luck:** _C_

** S. Card:** _A+_

* * *

**Bio:**

The fifth Emperor of Rome. She had a reputation of a notorious tyrant whose rule was made up of schemes and poison. In truth, she is a kind-hearted ruler that went against the senate and their oppressive ways. She gave money to the citizens to celebrate her claim to the throne and abolished all indirect taxes. This gained her the adoration of the public and the ire of the senate.

Her life was not easy, however, as not only the senate but her relatives too hate her. Her mother only saw her as a tool in ruling Rome and poisoned her when she was a child, so as to keep Nero under her control.

When she was established as a tyrant, she began to suffer from headaches and chronic hysteria; The latter being afflicted due to constant use of a silver cup. And when Nero's mother died, she took the antidote with her to her grave; leaving Nero with her constant headaches.

Over time, she became extremely popular with the masses; thanks to her policies that benefited the people. But not all were satisfied by her rule and was driven out of her position in Gallia by Vindex in a revolt. Angry at Nero's poor handling of the rebellion, the senate labeled her as a traitor, forcing her to escape Rome. Nero was convinced that the people will protect her from being force to abdicate the throne. But, the public was silent and did nothing to protect her. The Roman people had abandoned her, after she devoted so much for them.

Still, she did not resent them, instead was saddened by their lack of uproar, 'it was my greatest error to love them in way that they could not understand.'

She eventually decided to kill herself, though such an end was considered unsportsmanlike by her. She stopped herself many times, having cried about 'how can such a magnificent artist disappear from this world?', but as those who betrayed her closed in she quoted a line from Homer's Iliad, 'Hark, now strikes on my ear the trampling of swift-footed coursers!', before finally stabbing her own throat with a knife. After Nero's suicide, a soldier delicately wrapped a cloak around Nero's body, "too late. This is fidelity," Nero said. Those were her last words.

On a more personal note, she likes art and considers herself an artist that rivals Apollo. She also loves beauty, stating that 'Beautiful boys are good. Beautiful girls are better. My singular preference is beauty!' So if one can somehow combine both, they will immediately get on her good side.

She considers Tamamo her rival in finding love and the two frequently get into arguments when their interest is concerned. Yet, the two are great friends despite all their bickering and they tend to hang out a lot. Strangely enough, when they try to talk like each other, it somehow fits them.

She's also great friends with the Nameless hero. Though, they don't talk much.

On another note, people seemed to confuse her with King Arthur and Jean of the Arc for some reason even though they had no relation to each other. And she thinks that Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, is an eyesore; wanting nothing to do with him, even though they are the same in terms of personality.

Hates being called 'Princess'.

* * *

**Class Skill(s):**

Magic Resistance: _B (C)_

_Cancels spells of B-Rank and below. In video game terms, magic from enemies' mid-game and above can do any sort of magical damage. Originally, it was under C-Rank which is unbecoming of one in the Saber class, but because of her great increase in Mana, it was increased to B-Rank._

Riding: _A (C)_

_Most vehicles can be handled with skills only a god can match. In truth, this is an exaggeration of her skills as someone self-proclaiming that they rival even the gods. So she's supposed to be under C-Rank._

* * *

**Evility:**

Charisma: _A (B)_

_A skill which determines how well a person can lead and/or grant morale. At A-Rank, one could say they have achieved the greatest level of popularity as a human being. Originally, this skill was at B-Rank due to the headaches Nero had suffered. But because she was summoned without the headaches, the skill received a rank increase._

Headache Sufferer: _ - (B)_

_A curse inherited from the birthplace of one's previous life. Due suffering from chronic headaches, the success rate of mental skills decreases considerably. Because she was summoned without the headaches, the skill is now void. But, if it was active, it would grant Nero difficulty to demonstrate her valuable talent for the fine arts._

Imperial Privilege: _EX_

_An ability that, due to the insistence of the owner, grants skills that are essentially impossible to possess can be obtained for a short period of time. In cases when the Rank is above A, even the 'burden to the body' is acquired (Such as 'Divinity'). In the case of Nero, every skill she is said to possess is actually due to this skill._

Awesome Ego: _B_

_An ability that allows the user to act high and mighty without consequences. The drawback is that the higher the rank, the harder it is for the Master to control them. Likewise, if the user likes their Master, they would dedicate their lives for them. On the other hand, the higher the rank, there will be more people who like them._

* * *

**Spell Card:**

Aestus Estus: The Embryonic Flame: _B_

_A hand-crafted sword that is said to be based on the ultimate instrument that would make muses bow before the sounds it makes. It has the inscription: '__regnum caelorum et gehenna', meaning 'the kingdom of Heaven and Hell', carved on it. The sword's magic allows the wielder to cut through armor easily, due to the flames the sword would emit. Beautiful and elegant, one could see why Nero would be taken by such a sword._

Thrice Setting Sun: _A_

_Based on the time Nero tried to commit suicide. The multiple moments in which she stopped herself from suicide had turned it into an ability that allowed her to deny death once per battle._

Aestus Domus Aurea: Golden Theater of the Deranged: _A+_

_A Noble Phantasm based on the theater designed by Nero and constructed in Rome during her lifetime. It is not created by a Reality Marble but by magic that allows Nero to reject reality and substitute her own. This kind of magic can only be used by Nero, who believes without a doubt her feats for the impossible. __It is an 'absolute imperial zone' which allows the owner to achieve their aspirations._

_When the theater was first opened for business, many of the spectators left midway through the performance, causing an outraged Nero to blockade all doorways once the second performance began and not let even one person leave until the curtains of the stage were down. As a result, escape - without Nero's permission or cessation of the Phantasm - is virtually impossible._

_When activated, anyone Nero deems an ally will be granted abilities they can only dream of and allow them to perform impossible feats. Whereas the enemy will be granted no benefits and will forever be trapped in the theater unless they managed to defeat Nero or when Nero had run out of Mana. In short, this Noble Phantasm can be considered a form of cheating._

Thunderous Applause: _A_

_An attack based on the applause Nero heard when she was performing. It allows her to attack with beautiful and elegant movements that somehow show no openings._

Veil of Petals: _-_

_A rose that holds no power in itself. But when used, it boosts Nero's morale and is frequently used for her more powerful attacks. No one knows where she pulls them out._

Charm Point: _E_

_Nero's ahoge… WEAPONIZE. Due to the low rank, it does not do much but seduce certain people. If used under a specific set of conditions, it could somehow express Nero's mood. Rumor has it, if you plucked off the ahoge, her personality would change…_

* * *

Nero's bio page. I was having a lot of fun with this one… And yes, Nero is broken. I'm not even gonna make an excuse. She's just that awesome. And considering most of these are the skills she has in the game, you can't blame me. The Golden Theater is an exception though; I need to make it work in the story SOMEHOW.


	12. Bio - Tamamo

Disclaimer: I do not own any series that appears here.

* * *

**Name:** Tamamo

**Master:** Arisato Minato

**Class:** Caster

**Arcana:** Priestess

**True Name:** Tamamo-no-Mae

**Sex:** Female

**Title:** The facet of Amaterasu

**Origin:** Fate/Extra

* * *

_**Stats**__**:**_

**Strength:** _C_

**Endurance:** _C++_

**Agility:** _B_

**Mana:** _EX_

**Luck:** _C_

** S. Card:** _EX_

* * *

**Bio:**

Tamamo-no-Mae is a woman who served the retired Emperor Toba at the end of the Heian era. Known as Misukume as a child, she was said to the human form of a white-faced, gold-furred nine-tailed fox. She started to serve the court at the age of eighteen, and later became a lady-in-waiting of Toba, under the name Tamamo-no-Mae. She became the favorite of Emperor Toba due to her beautiful face and great knowledge. The exact accounts vary, but her identity as a fox was later exposed by an Onmyouji investigating the cause Toba's illness at the time.

Her infamy grew at the plains of Nasu after fleeing from the court, and an eighty thousand man army was dispatched at the order of the retired emperor to kill her. She defeated the force, but eventually lost to humans during the second battle. Her corpse is said to have become the Killing Stone, which released a problematic cursed poison that killed approaching people and animals until it was shattered by the monk Gennou Shinshou and its fragments dispersed to three places in Japan named Takada. It's said that the remaining fragments that were scattered became the "split-tail foxes" and "spirit dogs" and were used as familiars by practitioners in each region.

Been a unique facet of Amaterasu, she cannot be called by a human to be a Servant without sealing away most of her powers. And even then, her powers correlate to how powerful her summoner is. If she is summoned by a person with evil intentions, she would kill one hundred heroes and become one of the three great disasters of Japan.

But, seeing as she was summoned as what she is supposed to be, a divine being, by Minato, her powers are only limited by Minato's strength as a Master. Thus the above does not apply here.

Apparently, she is E-mail and online gaming buddies with Kiyohime and Kaguya-Hime and they play together whenever there is time. She also considers Nero to be her rival in finding love and the two frequently get into arguments when their interest is concerned. Yet, the two are great friends despite all their bickering and they tend to hang out a lot. Strangely enough, when they try to talk like each other, it somehow fits them.

She is also friends with the Nameless hero and Promise, and they hang out a lot. For some reason, she does not get along with Ideals; finding her to be extremely naïve.

Tamamo is currently looking for a husband that will love her and allow her to act as a good wife. Gender is not a concerned.

* * *

**Class Skill(s):**

Item Creation: _A_

_A skill to manufacture magical items. Tamamo is granted A-Rank because she thought it would help her as a wife._

Territory Creation: _C_

_A skill that lets the user build a terrain that is advantageous to oneself. Because it seems that her personality is not suited for it, Tamamo has difficulty in manufacturing even a Workshop._

* * *

**Evility:**

Witchcraft: _EX_

_Expertise in the Dakini heavenly methods. It includes methods to discern one's time of death and secret arts to obtain influence, such as methods to attain status and fortune (for men) and methods to gain the favor of influential individuals (for women). But, due to harsh experience in the past, Tamamo does not feel like making much use of this skill._

Shapeshift: _A_

_An ability that allows one to either borrow bodies, change one's appearance or both. A method used by the millenary spirits of foxes and badgers of China that are put on par with Tamamo-no-Mae. A method used by Daji of the Shang Zhou Revolutionary Period, but Tamamo does not feel like making much use of this due to a trauma of the past._

Divinity: _A++_

_Due to being a facet of Amaterasu, she is granted this skill. __At this rank, any damage caused by artes under the Light and Almighty affinity is lowered to point that it's barely noticeable. In exchange, all artes under the Dark affinity do ten times the usual damage. But because she is well-versed in the dark arts, Tamamo will only take regular damage from any attack under the Dark affinity._

Animal Dialogue_: __A_

_Due to being a fox spirit, Tamamo is capable of talking to animals._

* * *

**Spell Card:**

Suiten Nikkou Amaterasu Yano Shizu Ishi: _A+++_

_A mirror that Tamamo wears on her body. It is the temporary released form of the Tamamo Shizu Ishi., a sacred regalia among sacred regalia, which was enshrined as Izumo after being brought from heaven by '__Takehinateru-no Mikoto'._

_Once its function as a Noble Phantasm is activated, Tamamo summons a circle of levitating ofuda surrounded by a number of glowing torii, charges the mirror with energy, and stands in the middle of the circle to draw in the energy. The energy drawn in allows her to use her abilities without the need to expend any mana for a limited time. The duration and range of the Noble Phantasm depends on how powerful Tamamo is._

_It is normally a divine treasure of the land of the dead that can even bring the deceased back to life, but the lack of power within Tamamo prevents this usage._

_One has to question why Tamamo is using such a sacred treasure as a weapon against enemies in close combat._

Tokoyo Sakisaku Daisakkai: Red Spider Lily Killing Stone: _A+_

_After her death, Tamamo-no-Mae turned into a rock named Killing Stone, which was tinged with a terrible curse-toxin and caused the humans and animals that approached it to die from poisoning. The rock then became one of Tamamo's Noble Phantasm that activates once she is near death; poisoning all enemies in the area. Any enemy that has Mana with D-Rank and below will die immediately, while those with a higher rank will suffer from effects such as chest pain, headaches, stomach pains, heart attacks and constant urges to hug the nearest plush toy._

Polygamist Castration Fist: _B++_

_The ultimate CQC technique! There are very few people in the universe that can survive it! Harem seekers, BEWARE!_

'_Master_ _, if you ever try to create a harem, you'll suffer the consequences_ _" said Tamamo in a scarily sweet voice._

Mantra: Merciful Sky: _B++_

_An incantation that greatly increases Tamamo's magic ability._

Breath of the Soul: _C_

_A breathing technique that slightly rejuvenates Tamamo's mana._

* * *

Bio page for Tamamo. It was really hard to write it as she use much of her abilities in the game. So, I have to make stuff up as I go. Tamamo's name keeps popping out in this…

Also, I keep typing her name as 'Tomamo' for some reason, oh well, enjoy reading.


	13. Battle 01: Climbing Thebel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series that appears here. Because it's impossible.

Thank you ThePersonaficationOfNight and Guess for the reviews. Not many this time… I'm a little sad.

Warning: There is a little fourth wall breaking in this Chapter.

* * *

**Battle 01: Climbing Thebel**

* * *

After the battle with the Priestess Shadow, SEES decided to-

"WAIT!" shouted Tamamo suddenly, shocking everyone involved, "Why are we suddenly jumping to exploring this tower? What about master? Why haven't we went through what happened before this?!"

"Um… what is she talking about?" asked Yukari who was extremely confused.

"Caster hath always been strange," replied Nero with a sigh, "There were times whence she hast spoke to herself with none around."

"That's not it!" retorted Tamamo loudly, "I mean, why can't YOU see the narrator?! We were from the same series! You even took part in that festival!"

Tamamo started to pant, tired from all the shouting. While Nero was laughing from her plight.

"I was joking," said the woman in red, "But thou art right, though we know what hast happened, the readers are not privy to the knowledge."

Nodding her head, Tamamo said, "Yes, so we need to go through what happened. SO! Time for a flashback!"

* * *

_Flashback_

* * *

This had happened after the fight with the Priestess Shadow, where Minato had fainted from her injuries.

* * *

_**Iwatodai Dorm, Command Room**_

The intercom beeped; signaling an incoming call. As soon as he heard it, Akihiko picked it up and answered, "Akihiko here."

"This is Mitsuru," said the voice on the other side in a hasty tone, "We've successfully completed the mission, but Arisato got injured as a result."

"What?! What happened?!"

"There's no time to explain, the Dark Hour isn't ending anytime soon, so I need you to prepare the first aid kit!"

As soon as she finished issuing her orders, Mitsuru hung up, leaving Akihiko and Ikutsuki, who had just arrived not too long ago, confused.

"What the hell happened there?" asked Akihiko rhetorically as he made his way to the door.

Ikutsuki accompanied the senior and answer, "Kirijo-Kun said that they managed to complete their mission, so the monorail should be safe. But it's best to fear the worst."

Akihiko stared at the middle-aged man and nodded at his suggestion, hoping that nothing too serious happened. "By the way, Ikutsuki-San," said Akihiko as they climbed down the stairs, "Why do you look so tired? Wait… Don't tell me that bicycle outside was yours!"

The middle-aged man could only give a weak laugh, when he heard that the Shadows had taken over the monorail, he immediately raced to the dorm. Being a man that rarely, if ever, exercise, he became extremely tired before he even arrived at his destination.

"Boy, am I gonna be sore tomorrow," said Ikutsuki in a weak, joking tone.

_A short while later_

The sound of a motorcycle could be heard outside the dorm, indicating that Mitsuru and probably the group had returned. Despite the rushed tone in her voice, Mitsuru did not run back into the dorm; instead opening the door like she would every day.

When he saw the red head, Akihiko immediately asked, "What happened?"

Mitsuru went silent for a moment, before answering, "Arisato got impaled by a number of ice spears; piercing through her arms, legs and her chest area… In addition, her ribcage was broken and one her lungs was punctured. Finally, she had lost a lot of blood."

After listening to Misturu, the two men frowned. With Akihiko slamming his fist to the nearest wall. Such injuries could only result to one conclusion, death.

"That's quite a detailed report," said Ikutsuki, "Where did you learn to do an autopsy?"

"It wasn't an autopsy," said Mitsuru, "Arisato told was the one who told me. I'm not sure how, but she managed to recover completely…"

This caused the two men to react in complete shock. Though it was not impossible for someone to survive from injuries that Minato had suffered, it was completely impossible for anyone to fully recover so quickly. Especially in less than an hour.

"She recovered?!" asked Ikutsuki, completely bewildered, "Are her Personas' healing abilities so strong that they could heal even life threatening injuries?"

"It was not her Personas… She recovered all on her own."

"Intriguing…" muttered Ikutsuki, his eyes gleaming with fascination, "And where is Arisato-San right now?"

"She's outside with the others," replied Mitsuru, "I've told them not to come in yet. Now, I don't want the two of you to start asking her any questions. It has been a long night and above all, Arisato needs her rest."

After a few seconds of consideration, Ikutsuki and Akihiko nodded in agreement. Opening the door, Mitsuru told the juniors that were standing outside to enter. Runako, Yukari and Junpei were silent and were trying to avoid eye contact with Minato; whose clothes were drenched in blood, torn and tattered, with her chest area barely hiding what was underneath. Finally, the blood had mostly dried up and was starting to smell. However, there were no signs that she was once injured.

Behind the bluenette, were her Servants, who she had yet to dismiss.

"You sure she was hurt?" asked Akihiko, unable to believe that Minato was hurt, "She looked the same as before she left, except for her clothes…" The senior boy then averted his gaze to the ceiling, trying to avoid seeing Minato's nearly exposed breasts.

Mitsuru stayed silent, unable to find words to explain. "The moment the spears were taken out of my body," spoke Minato, answering for Mitsuru, "my body began healing; and in the time it took to return, I was completely healed."

"Arisato, you should head back to your room," said Mitsuru, her face showing a hurt expression, "I'll explain everything to them," she then turned to the other juniors, "The three of you should head back to your rooms as well… You deserve the rest."

At Mitsuru's suggestion, the juniors returned to their rooms. When they had closed their doors, Mitsuru started explaining to Akihiko and Ikutsuki.

* * *

Girls are explaining…

* * *

"So that's what happened," said Ikutsuki, nodding to Mitsuru's explanation, "I could see why you were all silent this whole time. Seeing a person completely heal from such wounds would cause anyone to distance themselves from them."

"Frankly," replied Mitsuru in a sad tone, "I'm more worried about how this would affect Arisato. I'm sure you all remember how she fully recovered from her injuries that night in just a few days. The fact that she managed to recover from something much worse…"

Akihiko took that moment to speak up, a grin on his and in an upbeat and slightly jealous tone, "I don't see why you would. I mean, that power would be useful in fighting Shadows. In fact, I wish I had that ability, then I would be able to keep training."

Akihiko's words caused Mitsuru to sigh in slight annoyance. She knew that her fellow senior loved getting stronger, to the point where even breaking a few bones in his ribcage would not hinder his desire for power. This of course, left Mitsuru with the responsibility to keep the silver haired boy from making his own injury worse. It was a tough job, to be honest, as it took a lot of effort to get Akihiko to just REST.

But, the sigh was not due to Akihiko's desire to fight again, but to his ignorance to Minato's pain. The sight as to what had happened when the ice spears melted lingered in her mind. Minato started screaming in pain as her injuries slowly healed. This was the reason as to why the group was silent when they had returned to the dorm. It was such a frightful sight that just remembering caused the red head to shudder, and she had been fighting Shadows since she was a child!

It annoyed her; that she could not do anything to help the bluenette annoyed her. It made her hate herself for being too powerless to help just one person. To just shake in fear from the pain that one person suffered. She knew that she could not take the pain in Minato's place. In fact, she was too scared to even endure half of them.

'It was scary.'

'I don't want to go through that'

'I don't want to die'

These thoughts popped within Mitsuru's head, causing her body to tremble. She was prepared to die fighting the Shadows, but seeing Minato made her realized that no matter how much she tried to suppress her fear, it does not mean that it had disappeared.

"In any case, we must be prepared," said Ikutsuki, snapping Mitsuru from her thoughts, "This incident might be an indication that 'it' has begun. Plus, Arisato-San's injuries might lead to our new members to drop out of SEES."

"I'll talk to them in the morning," replied Mitsuru who had regained her composure, "We can't afford losing them now."

Turning on her heels, Mitsuru climbed the stairs and made her way to her room.

- No matter what happens, I will protect 'him'…

* * *

Silent morning; Passing hearts

* * *

Fear from the previous night's incident took hold of the juniors' hearts as they woke up in the morning. Or it would be, if it were not for the fact that a certain auburn haired girl was in high spirits for some odd reason.

* * *

_**May 10**__**th**__**, Iwatodai Dorm**_

"Yukari-Chan!" exclaimed Runako, apparently unaffected from the previous night's events, "Good morning!"

The smiling Runako startled Yukari, "You're awfully cheerful today… Did something happen?"

"Yeah, when I turned on the TV this morning, the news announced that the people who suffered from Aphathy Syndrome the past few days woke up."

"It's Apathy Syndrome. And is that true?" asked Yukari, unable to believe her.

"Yup! And when I asked Kirijo-Senpai, she said that the Shadow we fought last night could've been the cause," replied Runako happily.

Simply put, a large amount of victims suffering from Apathy Syndrome had appeared for the past week. This had caused no end of worry within SEES as Shadows were the ones who caused the 'illness'. So the fact that the victims were recovering was a warm welcome in light of the previous night event.

"Isn't it great?" asked Runako, "It's like the prizes you get from beating a boss in a video game. Makes you feel like a hero huh?"

"You got that right," said Junpei, who was climbing down the stairs. It seemed that he heard the conversation between Yukari and Runako. "Fighting monsters, saving people… It's like those games. Being a Persona user is the best."

Yukari sighed. She could not believe that the other two had forgotten what had happened when they fought the Priestess Shadow. In fact, they seemed to have forgotten that Minato and her Servants were the ones who defeated the Shadow. It actually pissed Yukari off. She hated people who would take credit for other people's work. And worse, the ones who were doing it were her friends.

The brunette was about to reprimand them when she saw Minato climbing down the stairs.

"Um… Good morning," greeted Yukari nervously. It was the first time Yukari had ever greeted the bluenette ever since the night Minato was supposed to join SEES. Add the fact that Minato had suffered great pain the previous night; it would not surprise Yukari if Minato did not reply.

Fortunately, Minato was not one to hold grudges and she nodded at Yukari's greeting and greeted back before heading into the kitchen.

Giving a sigh of relief, Yukari mumbled to herself, "I'm glad she doesn't hate me… I hope she's all right, what happened last night…" The brunette shook her head, not wanting to remember the frightening scene.

Like Mitsuru, Yukari was a little traumatized by Minato's painful recovery. That was when a thought popped in Yukari's mind. Junpei and Runako were trying to keep their minds off that frightful memory.

"Yahoo!"

Or maybe not as they were shouting and celebrating their so called victory. This caused Yukari to sigh again.

* * *

A kind heart; Distrusted heart

* * *

_**Same Day, Gekkoukan High School**_

It was a strange day, to put it simply. For some reason, the Servants Minato had summoned the previous night, Medusa, Nero and Tamamo, were in school. According to Minato, she tried to dismiss them, but for some reason, they stayed. Thankfully, the Servants were wearing civilian clothing, allowing them to blend in easily.

"Here Master, aaahh…" said Tamamo, trying to feed Minato.

It seemed that they were there to bring Minato lunch. Whispers could be heard around the class.

"Are they her underlings?"

"Woah, talk about a group of beauties. But if they're with that delinquent…"

"What a waste, that woman with the glasses is just my type…"

"Think she blackmailed them?"

Horrible rumors were buzzing around the room. Normally, Minato would not hear any of them by hiding at an isolated location, but the Servants' arrival prevented her from doing so.

"URUSAI!" shouted Tamamo, extremely angry, "I'm trying to enjoy lunch with my Master, so all of you lost lambs follow your names!"

Tamamo's outburst silenced the class. Surprised and shocked by the sight of a woman who looked kind and gentle, shouting in a terrifying voice. It was even more terrifying when said woman suddenly turned back to Minato and went, "Here Master, another bite," in a sweet and cute voice. The sudden change in mood was jarring and caused the students to stay silent for the rest of lunch.

"Umu, the students of this school are disgusting," said Nero, who was sitting rather close to Minato. "Talking behind ones back and nary a word to another's face. Worthless masks, thy life shalt be fruitless."

The once Emperor of Rome was angry. She did not like how the students were treating her Master.

Meanwhile, the junior trio were looking at the scene while eating their lunch.

"Man, I wish I have someone feed me lunch," said Junpei, in a slightly jealous tone, "But a girl feeding a girl like that… Heh, it's every boy's dream."

Yukari sighed at Junpei's comment. She was also slightly disgusted at Junpei's lack of subtlety, "Can't you behave for even one day?" asked the brunette, dope slapping the cap wearing boy.

"What? I'm a guy," retorted Junpei, rubbing the back of his head, "Unless they're one of those homophobes, a guy would be cheering at this."

"The guys in our class don't seem to be enjoying it though," said Runako, pointing at some of the boys in the class. True enough, the boys were ignoring the sight. In fact, they had a disgusted look on their face and directed hateful eyes towards Minato. "You sure it's every boy's dream?"

A nervous laugh escaped Junpei. He realized that the reason the other boys in the class were not enjoying the 'eye candy' was because of the main focus; Arisato Minato. Because of her bad reputation, the guys had all decided to not have anything to do with her. Even though the bluenette was beautiful, smart and overall a decent person, she was not welcome. A witch, that was what most of the student body had called Minato.

To be frank, Junpei used to think the same as the other students. But since the previous night, he had different thoughts. He realized that Minato was at least, a good person; someone who was willing to sacrifice herself to protect her sister.

Junpei sighed; he was a little glad that the Servants appeared. Among the trio, he was the first to notice that Minato always disappeared from class during lunch time. So the sight of Minato been surrounded by people she could trust made the cap wearing boy a little relieved. Though, the painful stares she had to endure could be done without.

* * *

Shatter, oh kind and gentle world

* * *

_**Evening, Iwatodai Dorm**_

Happiness never lasts long and the end would always result with the person enjoying said happiness with despair. That was what had happened with Minato, who was suspended from school by Ekoda for bringing in outsiders during school hours.

Normally, such an action would result in the student getting a warning; but due to Minato's reputation, she was suspended without giving her a chance. There were teachers who argued for her side, of course, but the number of teachers that were against her was great, thus there was no overruling Minato's suspension.

Because of this, a meeting was being held in the command room.

"This ain't fair," grumbled Junpei angrily, "Why did they suspend her when she didn't do anything wrong?"

"I have to admit," said Akihiko, folding his arms, "Suspension for something as small as this is too harsh. Don't they always warn the students for this?"

"It's 'caused of the rumors," replied Yukari with a sigh, "They thought she was a delinquent, so most of the teachers induced a zero tolerance policy for her. But yeah, it's not fair…"

"I'm already appealing about this punishment," said Mitsuru, who was the angriest of the group. "To punish someone without even giving them a chance to explain, I can't forgive them."

The others trembled at Mitsuru's tone of voice, which held not only her usual calm tone but also a strong trace of fury. "Isn't she unnaturally angry?" asked Yukari to Akihiko in a whisper. "Yeah, this isn't like her," replied Akihiko.

"W-well, until we manage to overturn the suspension, why don't we use this as a chance to let Arisato-San rest?" asked Ikutsuki, who was actually there to discuss about the previous night's incident.

* * *

_End of flashback_

* * *

"And that is when the people agreed to our Master's respite," said Nero in an oddly proud tone, "When our Master rest, us Servants were tasked with exploring the tower in Praetor's place."

"What is she talking about?" asked Yukari in confusion.

"Well, stay tune for the next chapter, where Tamamo and Nero go defeat the evil Shadows!" said Tamamo in a sweet voice.

"Like I said, what are you girls talking about?"

* * *

True comrades; despair commenced

* * *

_The Empress_: Rank 2

_Death_: Rank 3

* * *

And…. It's done. Sorry for the delay in the chapter. The new Touhou game took up my time. The series should stop making addicting things, it takes up my time.

Anywho, Minato's Servants are now staying in the real world. Wonder what would happen. Stay tune to find out. Until next time.


	14. (True) Battle 01: Climbing Thebel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series that appears here. Not unless the people who do give me the rights.

Thank you, ThePersonaficationOfNight and Guess for the reviews.

* * *

**(True) Battle 01: Climbing Thebel**

* * *

_**Dark Hour, Entrance of Tartarus**_

"We would like to apologize for wasting the readers time with the previous chapter," said Nero and Tamamo in unison. For some reason, their heads had a lump.

"Um… okay…" said Yukari, completely confused as to what had happened, "Can we get started with climbing Tartarus?"

Nodding in agreement, Mitsuru place a case filled with weapons on the floor. "Stronger weapons have been prepared for the three of you. They should last through the exploration, so long as nothing like the Shadow during the train incident appears," she said with authority, "Now, as for the one to lead the exploration…"

"Ooo, me! Me! Me me me!" exclaimed Junpei while waving his hands wildly.

"Akihiko."

A sudden metaphorical weight crushed Junpei as he slumped to the floor in an exaggerated way. Yukari sighed; it was obvious that Akihiko would be the one leading the exploration since his injuries were already healed. Though, she was surprised when she heard that Minato was supposed to lead if she was around. But since the group had agreed to let her take a rest from the exploration, that could not happen. And in the bluenette's place were Nero, Tamamo and…

"I want to lead!" shouted a cute but childish voice. The voice belonged to a Servant that Minato had just recently gained and sent along with the others. The Servant was a very young girl; no older than 5-years old. Her hair and eyes were aqua colored with a blue ribbon tied at the back. She was wearing a light pink blouse and a blue jumper dress over it and a pair of white socks.

She was a cute little girl and it made the rest of the group, the other Servants included, reluctant to bring her with them. Minato had said that the girl was labeled as 'Fairy' and if it weren't for the pair of ice wings behind her back together with her floating off the ground, the group would had thought of her as a normal little girl.

"Er… Is it really alright to bring her with us?" asked Akihiko who was obviously uncomfortable with the idea of letting someone so young to fight Shadows.

"Arisato insisted it," replied Mitsuru, who was also having doubts about the little girl, "She said that the Fairy would be a great help for us. Though I'm not sure how."

"She looks pretty weak," said Runako as she sized up the Fairy, "And she kinda gives off the feeling of an idiot."

"Ah, you just called me an idiot!" complained the Fairy loudly, "The one who calls others an idiot is the idiot!"

"Yeah, she's a kid."

The comment caused the entire group to sigh with worry. They could not believe that such a small child could help in their battles and hoped that they could leave her at the entrance. But it was not meant to be, as the Fairy was determined to follow them and they could not hold her down as she was giving off an air of extreme cold whenever they tried to do so. Leaving them with no choice but to bring her along.

* * *

_**Tartarus, Thebel Block**_

The group had climbed up several floors and had little difficulty in defeating the enemies that appeared. Though, quite a number of said enemies were defeated by the Servants sans the Fairy. In fact, every time the Fairy tried to aid in battle, it became even more difficult as she actually shooting icicles around the entire area. This caused the group to try dodging all of the stray shots that came at them as the icicles were completely unpredictable. 'Completely', because even the shooter was nearly hit by one.

"Argh! Could you stop shooting at us?!" screamed a very annoyed Tamamo, who looked like she was about to wring the Fairy's neck. "Can't you use a better attack than 'shooting randomly'?"

"But this is much cooler," argued the Fairy in a childish tone and with a smug look on her face. This caused a vein on Tamamo's forehead to nearly burst. The fox girl likes children, considering that she hoped to have one sometime in the future, but even she had her limits. She wanted to knock the Fairy's head but was stopped by Nero.

"Dost not act rashly, Caster," said Nero, "Praetor would not send this child with us if she were not strong. There hath to be a reason for her dispatchment."

After a few seconds of thinking, Tamamo decided to relent and lowered her arm. Sighing at the fact that she would not be able to knock some sense into the Fairy, the fox girl decided to go hunt for Shadows to appease her anger.

"Still, she's right…" said Akihiko who was panting a little, "I spent more time dodging the ice than fighting Shadows. If we keep this up, we'll be too tired to fight if a strong one were to appear."

"You're right," replied Mitsuru through telepathy, "But we can't do anything about it. And like Caesar said, Arisato must have a reason to send her with us."

"Unless she's getting revenge from the train incident," said Yukari jokingly. Unfortunately, the Servant did not like it when their Master was being badmouthed, causing them to lash out at the brunette.

"Our Master/Praetor/Onee-Chan will never do that!"

"S-sorry," said Yukari, a little startled at the Servants outburst, "It was a joke."

With a huff of anger, the Servants turned and walk away from the group. "That scared me a little…" said Yukari with a sigh of relief.

* * *

Strong wind blows; The Queen's blade strikes

* * *

Time slowly pass as the group had arrived at the 14th floor. They were at a good pace and were not as exhausted as Mitsuru had predicted them to be. Then again, they had help from the Servants who seemed to make short of the Shadows that gave the four SEES members a hard time. Especially if one were to compare the time when they encountered special Shadows along the way. These Shadows, which are called Guardians, are a lot stronger compared to the regular Shadows that walked the halls of Tartarus. While not as powerful compared to the Shadow that took over the train, they were still strong enough to give the group some trouble. If it were not for the Servants, the members of SEES would have been in grave danger.

That is not to say that the Servants are invincible. The Guardians still managed to give them difficulty due to how some of them could resist, negate or absorb their attacks. For example, the Guardian on the 5th floor, which held the appearance of an eagle; It managed to negate most of Tamamo's spells and Nero's attacks barely scratched it. The only thing that managed to cause severe harm to the Shadow was the Fairy's ice spears. While it was a good thing that it managed to defeat the Shadow easily, the fact that the group had to dodge the attacks as well seemed to outweigh the victory.

But still, they were glad that the exploration went off without many problems.

"I sense a powerful presence, be careful," said Mitsuru, "Hold on while I scan it…"

A strong feeling of dread filled the group's chest. It was indeed a powerful presence; so powerful that everyone felt it despite the one emitting it was nowhere to be seen. And it was getting stronger with each second of passing.

"This is… RUN! It's 'DEATH'!"

Upon hearing the name, Akihiko immediately ordered a retreat. But because they were on a new floor, they had to search for the exit anew. The structure of Tartarus changed frequently after all and the stairs that brought them there always disappeared when they climbed it.

"Death?! What the hell is that?!" asked Junpei in extreme panic.

"It's a Shadow," explained Akihiko with a strong tone of urgency, "It looked like a Grim Reaper so we called it Death. It's powerful; TOO powerful. Compared to the Shadows we've fought up till now, it's a monster. As in a true monster. Mitsuru and I came across it before once, and we had to run for our lives."

"A wise decision," said Nero as they ran, "Though I am confident in mine strength; I dare not challenge one with power that can kill even gods."

"My current power isn't enough to defeat that thing," cried Tamamo, "I need three of my tails to even stand a chance!"

Despair sets in the group's chest. If the Servants had doubts in defeated the Shadow, what chance would they have against it? Thus, escape became their top priority.

Following Mitsuru's direction, the group headed for the transporter, a strange machine in Tartarus that somehow sends the group to the entrance. But with each step they took, the uncomfortable feeling they felt grew. In addition, the sound of chains rattling echoed through the halls, getting louder and louder in sync with the uncomfortable feeling.

With the next turn around the corner, the group came upon the transporter. But before they could use it, a gun shot rang behind them. Afraid as to what gave off the sound, the group slowly turned their heads. Behind them was a creepy, torn and tattered robe. And as their sight made its way up, they see a bandaged head with only an eye being shown. Its hands were dirty leather gloves and it was carrying a pair of long-barreled revolvers. A large and long chain floated around the creature formed a large 'X' shape, furthering its creepy appearance. It had no legs and it gave off a VERY uncomfortable tension.

Fear.

That was what the creature was emitting. It was what the group was feeling. The creature, with immense power, was driving fear within their souls. If was extremely uncomfortable. It was extremely nauseating. They could not move a single step due to being paralyzed by fear. The exit was just beneath their noses, only needing a single step and they would be safe. But they could not move. They dared not move. They felt like if they so much as twitched, the creature would kill them all.

"Minus K!" shouted a childish voice.

A barrage of bullets surrounded the group. As they got closer to the creature it exploded into smaller bullets and when they hit it, whatever parts were slowly frozen over. This gave the creature a hard time in moving, however, the tension it emitted still lingered in the air; thus there was a long time before the group could register what had happened. It all went by too fast; leaving everyone very little time to realize who fired the bullets and that it gave them a chance to escape. When they finally realized it, it was too late; the creature managed to break free of the ice and was aiming its revolvers at the group.

"Tch, you guys are too slow," said the same voice, except it was in a very mature tone, "Well, I guess it's the role of the strongest to protect the weak, so I'll take care of it. 'Frost Sign: Frost Columns'."

Announcing the attack, a number of large pillars of spikes emerged from the ground, tearing a through the creature's robe and redirecting its aim to the ceiling.

"Umu, so thy power shows its true form," said Nero with a tone filled with admiration, "This beauty, if only it was red… My heart brims with jealously and admiration. To grant me both ugly and beautiful emotions, I thank thee."

When she had finished her words, Nero ran towards the creature with her sword tightly gripped in her hands. Nero unleashed a flurry of slashes but the creature managed to conjure a shield that protected it from the attacks. Fortunately, a few of the attacks went through, causing a little harm to the creature. With each strike, the creature gave out a muffled sound that was sounded like a person screeching in agony and rage.

Refusing to stand on the defensive, the creature once again directed its aim to the group.

"What are you waiting for? Get out of here," ordered Tamamo as she stood in front of the group.

"What about you guys?" asked Junpei, worried about the Servants.

"So long as our Master is still alive, we can be summoned as many times as she wants," answered Tamamo, getting into a battle stance, "So the rest of you should get out of here, we'll follow later."

When Tamamo had finished saying her piece, she ran straight towards the creature, undeterred by the guns that were aimed at her. "First Strike: Aim for the groin!" shouted the fox girl as she produced a powerful kick towards the creature's head.

Not wanting to waste the Servants' efforts, Mitsuru ordered the group to use the transporter.

* * *

A team effort; Lone victory

* * *

"That ist no groin," said Nero with a laugh as she stretched her arms.

"Oh hush, it doesn't have one, so the head is the next best thing," argued Tamamo as she groomed herself, "Anyway, I'm surprised by how powerful you are. And here I thought you were just some idiot kid but you were hiding your true form the whole time huh?"

The person in question was staring at a giant chunk of ice that was used to defeat the creature that looked like the Grim Reaper. Compared to her earlier appearance, she looked more mature, probably at her late teens. Her wings were slightly bigger as with her hair which was slightly longer.

"I'm just the Strongest Fairy," said the now mature girl with a smile, "And I was just doing what Onee-San told me to do. Anyway, did you two figure notice anything wrong with our battle with that monster?"

"Umu, this was obvious," replied Nero, "That abomination was not trying. The power it emitted before us was nary an inkling to when it chased us."

The Fairy was in deep thought. She wondered what the Reaper wanted. She wondered why the Reaper chased them. She wondered why it gave up on winning when confronting the Servants. Questions ran through the Fairy's head but she held no answers.

"Maybe it only wants the Persona-Users?" suggested Tamamo, "I mean, it kept aiming its guns at them."

"That could be it, but we can't conclude that yet. There are too many things we don't know about that thing. Either way, we have to be careful."

Nodding in agreement, the Servants walked towards the transporter and headed to the entrance.

* * *

Frozen intelligence; Sinful killer

* * *

_**End of Dark Hour, Iwatodai Dorm**_

"Man, that thing was scary," said Runako as she dropped towards the sofa, tired from the exploration.

"No kiddin', I thought we were gonna die," relied an equally tired Junpei as he made his way to a chair, "Say, did anyone know who saved us? I remember hearing the voice of some lady."

No one had a clue as the Fairy had reverted to her child form the moment the Servants had returned to the entrance. And because Tamamo had declined in summoning the ice bullets, the members of SEES could not tell who had saved them.

"Mitsuru, weren't you scanning the battle?" asked Akihiko, "Did you see who save us?"

"No… I was too busy ensuring your safety to pay attention," replied Mitsuru regretfully, "I apologize…"

The members of SEES went quiet. The Servants would not tell them who was their savior and had gone into Minato's room.

"Whoever it was must be really powerful," said Yukari with a small yawn, "I mean a covering the entire that Reaper Shadow with ice must take a lot of power."

The juniors nodded in agreement along with Akihiko. But Mitsuru stayed silent. In truth, she actually paid attention to the fight, but the amount of power that was released distorted her senses to the point that she could not accurately pinpoint the one who saved the exploration group. But the moment before her senses were distorted, she detected the energy near the Fairy. And seeing that the Servants were silent about the whole affair, she decided to stay quiet as well. Though she did not know her reasons, Mitsuru was sure that Minato had a reason to keep the true power of the Fairy a secret.

- I'll refrain from asking her for now… She must have a reason… She must…

Mitsuru did not know why she trusts Minato. She kept asking herself why, but could never come up with an answer. It was not pity, she knew that much. But there were no other options as to why she trusts the bluenette. After all, they did not really talk much as compared to Akihiko and Ikutsuki. And she did not know her as long. Yet she trusted her. It was creepy, to say the least. She did feel a little sympathy for the bluenette though, as no one deserved to be treated as a complete outcast.

- Outcast…

The word lingered in the red head's mind. She noticed that Minato had rarely talked to anyone in the dorm. Even to her own sister. Every day after school, Mitsuru noted that the bluenette was never in the lounge where everyone would enjoy mingling in the night. Even Mitsuru herself would engage in pleasantries with the others from time to time. The only time where Minato would even talk to the others was when it was absolutely necessary. Like the time when Minato informed her of the 'Velvet Room'.

Which was why she tried to talk to Minato with every chance she got. But it was a little difficult as she was very busy with her work as Student Council President, which did not present her much free time to enjoy a conversation with Minato. Not to mention that the entire student body seemed to be doing damndest to stop them from ever encountering each other in school.

It was sad.

It was frustrating.

It was annoying.

A flurry of mixed emotions filled the red head's chest as she thought more about Minato.

A long night; Blooming hearts

* * *

_The Empress_: Rank 2

_Death_: Rank 3

* * *

And…. Done. The exploration through Thebel is done. Now to move on to the block. Which is a few chapters later.

Anyway, a new Servant has arrived and I'm sure most of you readers know who it is. Yes, it's the circle 9. And she's here to show the Shadows who's boss.

And no, the Reaper fight was not actually easy. It just stopped trying to kill anyone once SEES has left the floor it was in. It will NEVER go out against just the Servants alone. And furthermore, the group will keep exploring Tartarus; or else they'll get their ass handed to them if they were to ever try to fight the Full Moon Shadows.

Sorry about the 'Mitsuru' rant at the last part, I figured that there should at least be one person to realize that how powerful the little Ice Fairy is.

Welp, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Please R&R and I'll see you next time…


	15. Bio - Fairy

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the series that appears here.

* * *

**Name:** Fairy

**Master:** Arisato Minato

**Class:** Saber

**Arcana:** Lovers

**True Name:** Cirno

**Sex:** Female

**Title:** The Beloved Tomboyish Girl

**Origin:** Touhou

* * *

_**Stats**__**:**_

**Strength:** _9_

**Endurance:** _9_

**Agility:** _9_

**Mana: **_9_

**Luck: **_9_

** S. Card: **_9_

* * *

**Bio:**

An Ice Fairy from a far away land and lives at a Misty Lake. It is said that she is an embodiment of nature and will continue to exist so long as the nature she represents exist. Because she is a part of nature; and nature is always changing; no one knows how powerful she really is, not even herself.

Her form is that of a child because Fairies tend to be associated with children. This is also a reason for her child-like mentality

Her existence itself is also unknown as there are infinite interpretations about it. Some say her childish actions are a mask and she is actually really smart. Some say her power is so immense; a nuclear reactor would freeze just by a single touch. Some even say she is the best hide and seeker ever. Despite the number of interpretations, they all have one thing in common; She is the strongest Fairy among Fairies.

Her best friend is the Great Fairy and it is said that you can see them playing at the Misty Lake. She is also good friends with the Fairies of the Sun, Moon and Star and also Yuki Onna.

Her hobbies are freezing frogs and playing hide and seek. She apparently also likes fighting.

It is said that she also hangs out with Miko, Witches, Vampires, Bug Youkai, Bird Youkai, Nekomata, Rabbit Youkai and Flower Youkai.

Hates being called an idiot. And is represented by the number 9; a number that is associated with idiots.

* * *

**Class Skill(s):**

Magic Resistence: _9_

_Cancels spells of A-Rank and below.__ In video game terms; only enemies at the level of bosses can do any sort of magical damage._

_Riding__: __9_

_Most vehicles can be handled with average skill._

* * *

**Evility:**

Frozen Touch: _9_

_A skill she is born with due to being an Ice Fairy. Anything she wants to freeze will be frozen with just a touch as long as they are C-Rank and below. Prefect for those annoyingly hot days,  
_

Spell Card Rules: _9_

_A set of rules that came from her place of origin. So long as this skill is in effect, all the attacks she dishes out will be non-lethal. Unfortunately it does not work both ways unless the opponent also has this skill._

Immortality: _9_

_A skill that transcends life; those with this skill cannot be killed unless specific conditions are met. At this rank, she will always resurrect when killed, but will forget the past 5 minutes before her death._

Winter Territory: _9_

_This skill is granted to those who welcome the cold immensely. The colder it gets, the stronger the user becomes. For some reason, it also makes Cirno smarter and more mature._

Manipulation of Coldness: _9_

_The ability to manipulate coldness. At this rank, all artes under the 'Ice' affinity would do ten times the usual damage to the enemy and null the damage done to the user and allies. But in exchange, all artes under the 'Fire' affinity would do ten times the usual damage._

Baka: _9_

_A curse that grants the user stupidity. This was granted to Cirno due to the exaggeration to her intelligence by story tellers. Strangely, when not in use, her intelligence increases immensely and it will grant her the ability to change her age._

* * *

**Spell Card:**

Shroud Nine: _EX_

_A Noble Phantasm based on Cirno's representation by the number 9 and the constant image of her being weak. It hides all information about Cirno's power by replacing them with the number 9 with the exception of this Noble Phantasm. The only ones who are privy to her information are Cirno herself and her Master._

Spell Cards: _9_

_All of Cirno's most powerful moves; condensed into a deck. So long as she declares them beforehand, she can use any of them without having to worry about mana consumption._

999999 9999: _9_

_A Noble Phantasm based on the legends of Cirno from another world. When activated, it grants her the powers of the hero that save the world._

"'_What does it mean to be the strongest…?' that was what my mentor asked. After so long, I've found my answer… 'Being the strongest means protecting the weak and those you care about'" said Cirno, the strongest hero in the world._

* * *

And here is Cirno's bio page. Being the strongest, she gets the strongest bio page.

Putting that aside, I have some bad news. This fic will be going on hiatus for the next 2-4 weeks. The reason is because I have to go do something VERY 'important'. Well, not important to me but it is to someone else. And the place I'm going to won't have a computer, so I can't update. In addition, I will only be back on the weekends after those 2-4 weeks so it will be difficult for me to even write, so I might be able to update only once a month.

So I hope those who enjoy reading this story could bear with me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you'll understand.


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